Hostages Set Free!

This news went out 'round the world yesterday afternoon: "14 hostages held by rebel group in Colombia, now free!" In an amazingly planned rescue, 3 Americans and 11 Colombian nationals were restored to freedom after years of captivity in the jungles. The most prominent among them was a former Presidential candidate in Colombia, Ingrid Betancourt. Can you imagine the elation you would feel at being handed your freedom after being held under threat of death for seven long years?

Truth is, that is what God does for each of us! "Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. . . . When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness." (Romans 6:17-20, NIV) Satan held everyone of us captive! We had a illusion of freedom, but in fact we served self and we sinned against God by nature.

"But, Jerry, I am not an evil person. I try to be good and kind." And I will grant you that. But, the fact remains that apart from the intervention of God to set us free, we are incapable of true holiness, "falling far short," the Bible says, "of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) The natural state of everyman is slavery; to Self and Sin. "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,... for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-6, 10, NKJV)

Here's the question I want to put to you today: are you taking advantage of the gift of freedom from sin by passionately loving and doing the will of God? It is inconceivable that any of those hostages held by the FARC rebels in Colombian jungles would have turned around and gone back to their captors! They were thrilled to have the ability to go home to their families, to resume their jobs, and to have their lives back.

Believer, with even greater joy, we must turn to the living God, our true Father. "By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us-set us right with him, make us fit for him-we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand-out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise." (Romans 5:1-2, The Message)

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Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.

By God's Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned,
'Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.

Mercy there was great and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty,
At Calvary.

O the love that drew salvation's plan!
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!

Now I've giv'n to Jesus ev'rything;
Now I gladly own Him as my King;
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary.

At Calvary
William Newell, Daniel Towner © Public Domain