April 9 Lenten Devotional "The Truth Will Set You Free"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . .To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.  I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father”.  “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.  As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.  You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. (John 8:31-42)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus makes three promises to those who commit to obey his word, "to do the right thing": they will know the truth; and the truth will set them free. The first two promises, his hearers accepted; but the third one, they resisted because it insinuated that they were not yet free. they argued that they were the children of Abraham and never had been slaves to anyone. They were talking about being literal slaves while Jesus was talking about being a slave to sin.

SO WHAT. . .Most of us our slaves to something. . .worries, bad habits, unhealthy attachments.

• What are the sins that keep you from being free?
• What are the worries, bad habits and attachments that may not be sinful but that keep you from being free?
• Take a few minutes and review your life and bring your worries, bad habits and sins to Jesus.

Let's take this a little deeper as we are approaching the end of Lent. How can we hold tighter to Jesus' teaching as we move to being true disciples of Christ?

PRAYER. . .Dear God, help me to identify those things in my life that keep me from being free. I know that my freedom is what you desire for me, yet I refuse to admit that I am a slave to my worries, bad habits and things that may not be sins but yet keep me from you. O Lord, teach me and bring me closer to you. Amen.