“The more we submit to our Creator, the more we flourish in the freedom of our true identity.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 26, 2024
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
Imagine a bird poised at the edge of its nest, ready to take its first flight. The sky, vast and inviting, calls it to freedom. Yet, this freedom is not found in flapping aimlessly but in the mastery of flight. So, it is with us. The paradox of true freedom lies not in unrestrained autonomy but in the embrace of discipline and purpose. In today’s world, freedom is often mistaken for the absence of constraints. Many believe that true liberty is found in the ability to do whatever one pleases, unbound by rules or obligations. As long as I am not harming another is the casting off of responsibility. But this notion, alluring as it may be, leads not to freedom but to bondage.
C.S. Lewis, in his otherworldly wisdom, understood this paradox well. He wrote, “To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere.” True freedom, as Lewis expounds, is found in aligning our wills with the will of God. In surrendering to His perfect design, we discover the liberty our souls crave. Jesus declared in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” This freedom is not the liberty to indulge our every whim but the liberation from the tyranny of sin and self. Every desire is not worthy of release but rather a restraint to reflect honoring God.
Consider the prodigal son, a tale recounted by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The younger son, seeking freedom, demanded his inheritance and left home. He indulged in what he thought was freedom but soon found himself enslaved by his desires, destitute, and longing for true liberation. His return to the Father, marked by repentance and humility, brought him to the true freedom of being loved and restored. This familiar story echoes our journey. We, too, often seek freedom in ways that lead to spiritual impoverishment. Yet, when we return to the Father, we find that true freedom is in His embrace, in being who we were created to be. True love brings true freedom.
Lewis presses in, “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become—because He made us.” This is the heart of Christian freedom: the more we submit to our Creator, the more we flourish in the freedom of our true identity. It is not a loss of self but the discovery of our truest self in Christ. As we navigate the complexities of life, let us be accountable to each other that true freedom is found not in casting off all restraint but in the joyful obedience to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His service that we find perfect freedom. The psalmist sings, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts” (Psalm 119:45).
Into this paradoxical freedom, you are called to live. Not as an autonomous being adrift in a sea of relativism but as a child of God, delighting in His commands and walking in His ways. Here, and only here, do you find the freedom your heart yearns for—the freedom to soar on the wings of grace, bound by the love that truly sets you free. You are free to be you…in Christ alone!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank You for setting me free. In You alone, I find my true identity and purpose. Help me embrace who I am in Christ, living boldly and authentically. May Your love and grace empower me to be myself, reflecting Your love in all I do. Amen.
Application
What area of your life needs more restraint, and what area needs freedom?
Related Reading
Romans 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 5:1-26; 1 Peter 2:16
Worship Resource
Army of God Worship: Freedom
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