Set Free

“If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed”
(John 8:36)

People either live for themselves and other people, or for the Lord.  Without Him, we are bound up with chains inside ourselves; but when we trust in Him, we are FREE, no matter WHAT the outward circumstances of life may seem to be.

A few weeks ago, I “retired” from my job in the Human Resources Department.  The word “retired” is in quotes because I remain in full-time ministry.  Also, my mother needs a lot of help at this time in her life & I’m the one – H. R. had to go, but “retirement” does not quite describe it.  In one sense, I have been FREE since the time my life was given to the Lord, but in other ways in the past, I remained in - bondage.

It’s interesting that I had been developing an “I can’t do it anymore” attitude.  It surprised me because I always loved to work and was often the one who could “get it done” when others could not.  I polished cars when I was 11, sold papers at 13, worked in a market at 16 – I always worked.  But I became TIRED inside.  Do you ever get tired like that?

Perhaps it was my last job in Arizona, where the line of work was interesting, but the bosses were surprisingly cruel.  We had fancy titles and I was given many interesting assignments, but the atmosphere was somewhat like a war zone (people kept disappearing). The typical length of employment was 3-weeks; but I lasted more than five years.  Some of the “fire” inside went out, and the “flame” never quite returned.

This “I can’t do it anymore” attitude infects a lot of people, and we see it in families as well as in the workplace.  That feeling filled the people Israel, who finally were given FREEDOM from their slavery in Egypt, but they still kept the same mentality, even after God dramatically released them from outward bondage.

Chains inside their minds prevented them from “letting go” (of Egypt) and “letting God” (trusting in Him), and it eventually destroyed them.  He would have gently led them, but “their” way led to sin.  We are set free in Christ, not into “license” to do anything we want, but instead we are freed from sin, released to worship God; able to become all He has intended us to be.

I continued to work until “retirement,” but had not been sitting around and dwelling on weariness.  The human mind has a considerable ability to deny what we don’t want to think about.  I kept on working, mostly getting the job done, but in everything the struggle continued, for this was a war against – myself!  God has more than this in store for us.  The Son of God has come to set us free!

People have asked, “How do you feel, now that you are in full-time ministry?”  I have honestly not been able to answer such questions, because I am still somewhat numb in relation to it all.  It has been fifty years since God first called me to His service, and over thirty years since I finally said “Yes” to Him.  The abrupt opening just a few years ago of a “door” that has been closed for decades is a joy, but it is also a shock.  I am like a young man, learning this role as “pastor.”

Suggestions are in order if you really want to be “set free” to become what God wants for you: FIRST: RECEIVE the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  You might respond, “Well, I already did!” naming a point in time when you repented of your sins and received Jesus as your Savior.  Well and good, but just for a moment, look at your life.  Are you full of the “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” described as the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23?  Or do you just find other people and your life to be somewhat – irritating?

It’s important to look at that.  Remember, God doesn’t want just a little bit of you; a moment at a Billy Graham or Greg Laurie crusade – He wants all of you.  He will not rest and neither will you, until you are HIS.  And that may be the problem – you may be holding back.  Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).  Take a look.  It’s painful, but it’s the road to joy.

SECOND: you must discover what it is that God has in mind for you.  That’s not as hard as it sounds, for He had intentions for you before you were born, and speaks to you through His Word, in your heart, your dreams, in circumstances, and yes, through other people.  If you don’t know, you may not have “ears to hear” as the Lord said in Revelation 2:7 and other places – go back to “FIRST” and receive Him now.

If you have received the Lord, you have His will in your heart, for He DOES have a purpose for your life.  It may be subtle, like a ministry of intercessory prayer.  You may be called to teach His Word.  You may be drawn to speak the heart of God into the lives of others in what is called “prophesy.”  You may understand that which is truth and be able to detect that which is a lie (“discernment of spirits”).  Your call may be “large” or seem “small” to you – (it’s ALL important to the Lord).  Your job can be a ministry and so is your marriage. 

The expression of God’s purposes in your life will be between the Holy Spirit of God – and you!  In the past, I made the mistake of waiting for some person to tell me what to do.  It’s courteous to listen, but the Holy Spirit should CONFIRM the words of people.  I responded with enthusiasm to their suggestions, but found misery, because only GOD’s purposes will set you free.

The Son of God WANTS to you to be free, and “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).  He wants you COMPLETELY, and He EXPECTS that you will live for Him.  You will happy – and useful like you never thought possible, when you 1) Accept the Lord, and 2) Enter into the life He has chosen for you.

Father, I welcome you into my life.  Show me my need.  Fill me, Lord Jesus, and set me free.  Let me trust in You and KNOW what I should do.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.