Put Down the Bonds: Jesus Came To Set You Free! #AdventReflections

Jesus coming set us free! Let’s walk in that freedom.

I have a tendency to imprison myself—to become shackled by my own expectations.

I tie my worth to my accomplishments, attach my holiness and righteousness to my outward actions, and align my happiness with my situation. 

Be Free

It’s one reason I cherish the Holy days of Christmas and Easter, and especially the season of Advent. Pregnant with meaning, these seasons remind me of the freedom I have in the Lord Jesus: the freedom from those bonds I’m compelled to wear.  

Jesus Christ, God incarnate, didn’t come to earth to bind us tighter to achievement, but to pave another way. He didn’t take on human form so we would do more and have more, but so we could be saved.

The Father sent His Son to give us the priceless gift of liberty. We couldn’t set ourselves free. On our own we’d still be imprisoned by our thoughts and actions.

And sometimes we still go back to that jail cell: Maybe you can relate.  

So Jesus came.

By removing the barrier between us and our Creator, by bridging the cavern separating earth from heaven, through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus severed the bonds of sin. He set us free from the constraints, demands, and deadly nature of the flesh.

Jesus severed the bonds of sin, setting us free from the constraints, demands, and deadly nature of the flesh. Share on X

We find freedom from having to do enough or be enough in the power of God’s grace. In the cry of the infant Jesus, the starkness of the barren cross, and the echo of the empty tomb, our shackles are broken … the prison doors flung open. 

We find freedom from having to do enough or be enough in the power of God's grace. Share on X

O glory!

Liberty in Christ’s Coming

Only in Jesus Christ can we exchange the bondage of our will for the liberty of God’s. 

I appreciate how the renowned Calvinist Preacher C.H. Spurgeon (sermon, May 17th, 1891), explains such surrendering:  

“To leave our times with God is to live as free from care as the birds upon the bough. If we fret, we shall not glorify God; and we shall not constrain others to see what true religion can do for us in the hour of tribulation. Fret and worry put it out of our power to act wisely; but if we can leave everything with God because everything is really in his hand, we shall be peaceful, and our action will be deliberate; and for that very reason it will be more likely to be wise. He that rolls his burden upon the Lord will be strong to do or to suffer; and his days shall be as the days of heaven upon the earth.”

Our freedom is found in Christ’s coming, not in our doing or worrying. May we never cease celebrating! 

Our freedom is found in Christ's coming, not in our doing or worrying. May we never cease celebrating. Share on X

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Reflections: What does freedom in Christ mean to you? 

I am always thrilled to link up with Suzie Eller for #livefreeThursday and this week’s prompt, “utterly dependent, but totally free.” Click on the image to check out the wonderful encouragement.