I was reading Galatians 5 the other day and never made it past the first verse......
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
I started thinking about what it means to be set free, and then thought about the butterfly. Have you ever thought about the life of a butterfly? We learn about it's life cycle and we know that it starts as a caterpillar and amazingly changes into a butterfly, but do we get how truly amazing that is?! My kids have a book by Max Lucado about a caterpillar named Hermie that gives some insight on this. Hermie thinks he'll never be anything special until the day he wakes up as new creature. I can't imagine what that first day must feel like when it wakes up with beautiful wings and can fly. Before, all it could do was crawl upon the ground slowly, but now it can soar in the breeze. It is truly a new creation.
Would a butterfly ever choose to go back and become a caterpillar again? I highly doubt it. Would a prisoner that has just been released plead and beg the prison to take them back? Of course not! There is something beautiful about being set free. Once you've truly experienced being set free, you never want to go back into bondage again.
I remember the day I surrendered my life to Christ, I felt as if a two ton weight had been lifted from my shoulders, like I could fly! When I understood that I had been set free from not only my sin, but my guilt, shame, fear and everything else Jesus accomplished on the cross, I wept with a thankful heart. He is still breaking chains and setting people free. He breaks chains of sin, anxiety, oppression, addictions, fear, shame, religion, and so much more. No self help book could set me free nor could any of my good works. Jesus Christ alone has the power to set us free. Now that I've been set free, I would never desire to turn back to that old life. Actually, that old me is dead now because I am a new creation in Christ.
I told this scenario to the youth class the other Sunday..... What if you committed a crime and now you are going to be sentenced to the death penalty. You know that you are totally guilty and you are in the court room just waiting for the judge to sentence you, when all of a sudden a man stands up out of his seat and says "WAIT! STOP! Don't sentence her, I will take her place!" The youth in the class agreed that would be crazy for someone who is innocent to take the place of someone who is guilty! Yes that is crazy, it's crazy love! That's our Jesus!! Jesus loves us with an everlasting love that we may never fully understand on this earth. He died so we could live! He died and rose from the grave to set us free!
How about you? Have you ever experienced the freedom that comes from surrendering everything to Jesus Christ? He wants all of you, no matter your failures, sin, or mistakes, He still loves you and He still wants a relationship with you. What chains have you entangled? Jesus is willing and able to break those chains in pieces, never to entangle you again. He wants to set you free!
