The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Sunday, 25 November 2018 "Freedom!" by Gary Mitchell (North Carolina)

The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Sunday, 25 November 2018 "Freedom!" by Gary Mitchell (North Carolina)

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It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be 
burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 (NIV))
As a black man living in the United States, I consider freedom one of my most precious blessings. My ancestors were slaves once, bought and sold like property, worked like cattle and sometimes beaten even to the point of death. My ancestors could only dream of the freedom I was born with. It is never far from my thoughts that if I had been born 200 years ago, I couldn’t do any of the things I am doing with my life today. I am a free man, and no matter how busy or stressed I get, I always take time to cherish and give thanks for this powerful truth.
Free. We use the word carelessly, often for food we didn’t pay for or two-for-one sales that give us even more stuff we don’t really need. Yet the power in that word should never be underestimated. I was born free. Maybe that’s why, when the word of God tells me that all people everywhere were born into slavery to selfishness and sin and that Jesus died to set us free, I can barely choke back the tears. Each of us wore shackles around our necks, powerless against sin and death. And because Christ died for us, the chains are removed and we are let go — free to believe in, trust, and follow Jesus.
TODAY'S PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for giving your life to set us free. Help us to share this gift with all those who are still in bondage. Amen.

TODAY'S READING: Exodus 6:1-7

Exodus 6:1 The LORD replied to Moses, “Now you will see what I’ll do to Pharaoh. In fact, he’ll be so eager to let them go that he’ll drive them out of his land by force.” 2 God also said to Moses: “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I didn’t reveal myself to them by my name ‘The LORD.’ 4 I also set up my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan where they lived as immigrants. 5 I’ve also heard the cry of grief of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians have turned into slaves, and I’ve remembered my covenant. 6 Therefore, say to the Israelites, ‘I am the LORD. I’ll bring you out from Egyptian forced labor. I’ll rescue you from your slavery to them. I’ll set you free with great power and with momentous events of justice. 7 I’ll take you as my people, and I’ll be your God. You will know that I, the LORD, am your God, who has freed you from Egyptian forced labor. (Common English Bible).

Exodus 6:1 Adonai said to Moshe, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand he will send them off; with force he will drive them from the land!”

2 God spoke to Moshe; he said to him, “I am Adonai. 3 I appeared to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name, Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh[Adonai]. 4 Also with them I established my covenant to give them the land of Kena‘an, the land where they wandered about and lived as foreigners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Isra’el, whom the Egyptians are keeping in slavery; and I have remembered my covenant.6 “Therefore, say to the people of Isra’el: ‘I am Adonai. I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians, rescue you from their oppression, and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am Adonai your God, who freed you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. (Complete Jewish Bible).

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Freedom from sin and death is a true treasure from God.

PRAYER FOCUS: Those who are enslaved

READ MORE: More From Gary Mitchell

More From Gary Mitchell

NOVEMBER 25, 2018 BY GARY MITCHELL (NORTH CAROLINA)

RELATED DEVOTIONALS: FREEDOM!

My wife and I don’t have children yet, so our “baby” is currently a 7-month-old Shi Tzu named Princess Petal. She teaches me things about the Lord every day through how trusting she is as I guide her through unknown territory during walks, and through how disgruntled yet instantly forgiving she is when I give her a bath and she comes right back to play 5 minutes later. Recently, following a minor surgery at the vet, we’ve had to force her to wear the “cone of shame,” the plastic circular dog collar that prevents her from licking or picking at her scar. She hates this collar. Every time we take it off to feed her, she begs with pleading eyes as we reattach it. The first night after her procedure was a long one, since she just didn’t know how to lay down or sleep while wearing it. To comfort her, my wife and I slept on the floor next to her, and because my wife sleeps like a dead rock I’m the one who spent the night up with the unhappy fuzzball. Throughout the dark hours, Princess Petal hammered me with those sad, suffering puppy eyes, as if she was saying, “Daddy, please! I hate this. It’s uncomfortable and miserable. Can’t you take it off? Can’t you DO something?” 
And all the while I thought, “Yes, I can do something. It is fully within my power to remove that awful thing that’s making you suffer. But even though I want to, I know it’s there for a reason. I know you don’t like it, but I need you to trust me. I promise, it’s for your own good. It’s helping you, even though it doesn’t seem like it. Be strong and do your best with it, and I’ll be right here the whole time.” Like I said, Princess Petal teaches me things about God all the time. Here’s to puppy theology. 

To learn more about Gary Mitchell, you can visit his website here: VisionRiseMusic.com

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