August 2
Jesus makes us aware, if we don’t already realize it, that we are bound to something, and in Luke 16:13 He reminds us that we cannot be bound to two masters. Some of us are profoundly aware of our bondage. We are snared by drugs or alcohol or pornography—things that tether us like chains and drag us into a Sea of Shame.
Some of us are held just as tightly by things that seem more benign—over eating, indulging too much TV time, engaging in gossip—but that ultimately do nothing to improve our character or to contribute to the betterment of those we love. We would like to be free of our foolish indulgences, but they hold us tightly.
There is a flip side to this perplexing coin. We can bind ourselves to something good. The world offers us many wonderful things into which we can delve—volunteerism, charitable activities, maintaining a lovely home for family and friends to enjoy, using our talents to enrich mankind—things that benefit others and make us feel good about ourselves; but even these pursuits cannot totally solve our quandary. Even these worthwhile endeavors leave us feeling empty at times.
What we really need is prescribed in Romans 7:6 where Paul tells us, “It is by dying to what once bound us that we are released from the law so we may serve the Lord in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the law.” Whenever we try to improve our lot via the law, we must ultimately fall short; however, when we die to our ‘self,’ bind our hearts to Jesus and allow Him to remake us in His image, we become new creatures who are blessed on earth and ‘bound’ for Heaven.
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