2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Isaiah 28:14-30:11 ESV, Galatians 3:23-4:31 ESV, Psalm 62:1-12 ESV, Proverbs 23:19-21 ESV
Daily Verse: “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.” (Galatians 3:23 ESV)
MARUWD (4788): “In the sense of maltreatment; an outcast; destitution: cast out, misery.”[1]
Destitute outcast.
Without Jesus in our lives, we live imprisoned by sin. Destitute and outcast, we can’t save ourselves, but God opens the door to our personal prisons with grace.
When stuck in the muck and mire of sin, life sucks. In past days, people dug holes and put prisoners in them, unable to climb the steep walls, left to rot unless someone saved them.
One of my deepest holes happened in my 20s when I incurred significant debt. Paying the minimum payments did nothing to ease the burden. The endless cycle of juggling bills seemed like it would never end.
Faithful light.
My despair drew me back to Jesus; from the bottom of the pit, I had no choice but to look up. When I lifted my eyes to heaven, Christ’s faithful light shone bright, guiding me on a new path.
Returning to Jesus meant submitting my life to Him in faith. Trusting God’s promises, I started applying them to all aspects of my life, which I still do today. Over time, the debt became less and less as I followed Biblical principles with my money. The prison walls fell away as I placed my faith in Jesus.
Journeying with Jesus happens one day at a time. We become freer each time we trust God’s promises, following His ways, not ours. In Christ, we find freedom no one else can offer. Turn to God today, and ask Jesus to lead you out of sin’s pit. Apply Christ’s teaching to your life, and watch in amazement as His faithful light leads you on the path of everlasting life.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p.171) Thomas Nelson
