Thursday, July 11, 2013

Breaking Into Captivity


A week ago, NBC news reported that a bear broke into a zoo in Tennessee.  A Knoxville resident reported seeing the bear in a city park and alerted local authorities.  The responding officer found the bear climbing over a fence surrounding the Knoxville Zoo.  After alerting the zoo’s staff and counting every bear in the park, authorities decided the bear had come from the wild.  The bear broke into captivity in order to escape its freedom.

That is a funny story, but it often resembles the temptation of spiritual freedom.  Jesus sets us free, we face challenges in our freedom, and we do everything we can to return to our captivity.  Freedom makes us uneasy.  In our weakness, we prefer the confines of captivity.

Humans have wrestled with this temptation for a long time.  God used Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  As Israel began living a life of freedom, they longed for their captivity.  The Israelites questioned Moses: “If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.”  The Israelites preferred to die in captivity rather than live in freedom.
           
As you go through the coming week, embrace the freedom Jesus has given.  Make God honoring decisions because you are free.  As you do, you will find real liberty.  And, you’ll avoid all the challenges of life lived in a zoo.

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