Free!

Free!

‭John 8:31-32 KJV‬

[31] Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

As always, Jesus had a message for the crowd as well as His disciples. There were demands placed on the crowd, and there were also expectations from disciples. It is quite critical that I know where I stand and who I am. Am I one of the numbers in the crowd, or have I surrendered my life to Jesus? What makes this classification critical is how one can miss it, while being caught up in doing 'important' work. I can get quite hung up on being a blessing to others that I forget to ask if I have the right contents in the first place. Men can applaud anything that excites them or which they do not understand, but at the end of it all, the One who is the Truth will judge. This is one God you cannot deceive with hypocrisy or eye-service; He sees the hidden motives of the heart, and His dealings are according to His Truth, not popular opinion or by human applause.

You find that in the verses above, some of the Jews crossed over from the crowd and are recorded as believing ON Him. They did not just stay at the level of hearing from or reading about Him; they came to believe on Him. That is the bridge that anyone who would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus must cross. That is a decision anyone who would enjoy the riches of God's grace must make. It cannot be done by proxy, or on behalf of anyone else. There will be many opportunities to hear or read about God. The Internet has made it easy to access resources and the Bible is now an app with different versions and languages. With the depth of information available, the Holy Spirit is a prayer away, who can explain the deep mysteries of the Word of God and bring us to the place where God intends. Do not stay with the crowd; do not get lost in the number. 

God wants to make a change in you, but He can only do so when you surrender to Him of your own volition. He does not and will not force Himself on me, or go against the exercise of my freewill. Worldly information is nice, and will be of use in navigating this phase of earth, but there is a limit to what worldly information can help you achieve. For the journey of eternity, you need information and materials that are also eternal, and that is where the Truth of Jesus can help. All men are born as slaves to sin, and no amount of influence, connections, wealth or grammar can save, except by the blood of Jesus. When a man comes in contact with, and surrenders to Jesus, the yoke of sin is broken, and the man is set free to worship and serve God. Do not settle for the false versions the world sells as freedom; no man can give you what He does not own. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. In Him, you have all you need. God's time of favour is here.