Made for More: 30 Days of Experiencing More Life, Love, and FreedomSample

PART 3 FREEDOM

Day 21: Freedom

Oppression. Bondage. Captivity. War.

Those are heavy words—but they are the vocabulary Scripture invites us to use when we think about our stories. You and I are living in the midst of a great spiritual conflict, both within us as well as around us. Internally, there is a battle between the false self and the true self. Externally, a war rages between the two kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. Life, at its core, could best be described as the greatest of love stories set in the middle of the greatest of conflicts; good versus evil.

You may have heard the phrase in Christian circles: “It’s not about you.” While that can be helpful in fighting pride or entitlement, let’s be clear—when it comes to the scriptures on redemption, rescue, and restoration—it absolutely is about you. And me. And the couple down the street. And the whole world.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
— Hebrews 1:3

Jesus left the right hand of the Father to come for us. To ransom us. To rescue and restore Image Bearers. And when the mission was complete, He returned to His rightful place in glory. That mission? It was us. We were the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). It’s deeply personal to the Trinity, so much so they make it their business to be constantly involved.. Like in never leaving, never forsaking, always on, always in, until we’re finally home.

Through Adam came the curse—sin, bondage, brokenness. Through Christ, the second Adam, came the cure—reconciliation, restoration, freedom (Romans 5).

And yet, knowing this theologically isn’t the same as living it. It's one thing to believe in freedom; it’s another to exercise it. We are called, not just to know we are free—but to enforce that freedom in the battles we face each day. It reminds me of General Eisenhower’s sobering words after World War II:

“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”

May we not be among the weak or the timid.

What would it look like for you to enforce your freedom today? To defend it? To live in it with strength, confidence, and faith?

Christ has purchased our freedom at great cost. Now we are invited to stand in it—strong, courageous, and free.

“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.”
— Galatians 5:1

Prayer:
Father, thank You for sending Jesus to rescue me. Thank You for the cross and for the victory of the resurrection. I receive the freedom You purchased for me. Help me not only to believe in it, but to walk in it. Show me where I have been timid or weak, where I have allowed old lies or chains to keep me from living as a free son. I take my place in Your love and declare today: I am free, I am Yours, and I choose to live in that truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As you reflect on all this with God today, consider asking Him:

Jesus, how might I have underestimated or misunderstood the work you have accomplished on my behalf to provide for my freedom?

Holy Spirit, what difference does it make to my heart to see that it is about me, that there was something about me worth leaving heaven to enter humanity and return victoriously.

Father, is there one phrase or sentence that feels like it’s just for me today? Would You help me hear it clearly and understand why it matters?