Freedom

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley 

Are you free or are you a slave? Probably many would say that they live in a free country, but how free are we? Freedom doesn’t exist without boundaries. Boundaries are ways that we keep our freedom in check. Without boundaries we would have anarchy. Being free to do whatever you please is not healthy for any society or individual yet we want freedom. Ironically, although we may see ourselves as being free, we may be slaves.

Would you consider yourself to be a slave? You are a slave to anything that owns you. What owns you? Money, fear, anxiety, worry, work, power, and/or significance. Do I need to go on? We want and strive to have the freedom to choose and to have what we want, but none of this comes without a cost. Isn’t it said that there is nothing free in this world? All that is free often comes with strings attached.

In Luke 4:18 Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Freedom for the prisoners? Are we prisoners? Prisoners of opinions of others, of wanting more money, or a better job? Are we prisoners of our own making? The consequences of our choices often put us in bondage to debt and all sorts of other things that tie us down and keep us from moving forward in life. We can even be prisoners to the addictions in our life and I’m not talking about drugs or alcohol. I’m referring to the addictions to social media, shopping, the approval from others, and a host of other things that keep us stuck. Remember, a prisoner is one who is under the power of another, but it can also be one who is under the power of a thing. So, what is Jesus referring to?

The passage says that he was proclaiming freedom. You get it through following after him. As you follow after him you will find freedom because your life will start to change as his life is reflected in you. Yes, that means living as a reflection of his character. It’s possible for all who choose it. Think about it.