City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

³¹ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

³³ They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

John 8:31-33 (NKJV)

³¹ 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.”

³³ 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?”

John 8:31-33 (NIV)

¹⁰ The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 52:10 (NIV)

Reflection

In May of last year there was a Bengal tiger loose in Houston. For days authorities searched for the tiger while all of Houston coward under the Spector of meeting the tiger in their driveway one fine morning.  Eventually the authorities found the tiger and returned it to captivity. 

Let’s talking about the concepts of being “setting free” versus being “making free.” Think of this tiger, which has no higher faculty for reasoning and only its impulses.  When fearful, it attacks or runs away.  When hungry, it attacks and eats.  When cold, it seeks warmth.  But there is no high reasoning that thinks ahead and finds a more perfect solution to its problems.  So, its best freedom could only be found in a controlled environment, like a zoo or enclosed piece of land.

Also, Las Vegas is known for its spectacular shows. For years Siegfried and Roy ruled the stage with their Tiger show. They had trained these animals to such an extent that they could perform on stage, with flames, swords, and all sorts of dangerous items.  Crowds would pay top dollar to attend the performance. While the environment was still controlled, there was a broader freedom that these tigers were made ready for through training.  Unfortunately, the training only went so far and there were times when these tigers reverted to being wild and they attacked their trainers.  They were made ready for a broader freedom, but their making was not sufficient to allow them true freedom.

When man encounters truth, there is a training that takes place.  But this training depends on the man.  He can deny what the truth is intended to show, in which case he will be trained into his own deception, and he will become like the wild animals, captive to impulses.  If, however, he accepts the truth, it will work to transform him into what he was intended to be, man thinking God’s thoughts after Him and living an elevated life.  The transformation will enable a freedom that could not be achieved any other way.  In this, man is set free and make free.

Application

Suppose you have something difficult to overcome.  Perhaps it is something like finding a job, paying bills, apologizing for doing something wrong to someone, or overcoming gossip.  In each of these cases, there are facts about them that you would have to agree are true.  It may be true that you don’t have a job, that you don’t have the money to pay bills, that you did something wrong, or that there is something unpleasant about you.  And yes, “facts are stubborn things” (John Adams).  But these are not the only things.  The truth will set/make you free, but half truths will kill you every time.  You must always return to what God thinks about you and your situation.

God has a plan for you, so He has a job for you.  God is able, so He will provide for you. God intends you to be perfect, so He will help you to overcome your pride.  And God knows your deeds, and washes them away, so they are covered and no longer counted against you.  Spend time with these truths that they might make you into that which God intends.  And know this truth, that the Lord will bare his arms and contend for you.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray that You show us how to trust You when You confront us with the truth.  Lord we confess that not only have we been sinners, but we have been willing sinners.  We have rejected truth when You have shown it to us.  And we have avoided our responsibility to be true.  Lord, we ask You to soften our hearts to Your word, that the truth can come in and change us to be the people You intend us to be.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.