I Am Free

I've been watching the series "Roots" on dvd. This series came out in the late 1970's and is based on the book ROOTS by Alex Haley. It traces his ancestry back to tribal Africa at the time of the slave trade in the mid-late 1700's. The story begins with the birth of Kunta Kinte, a member of the Mandinka tribe. He was captured by slave traders, brought to the colonies, and sold into slavery. The series is about 8 hours long and just pulls you in to the life of his family. You see them go from being free in Africa, put into slavery, and freed again after the Civil War.

I finished the series last night and I was so moved by the final episode. It got me thinking....

The movie ends with the family moving to Tennesee and proclaiming, "We are free!" They had actually been free for a while, but had no money. So they stayed and worked the white man's land that they had been slave workers on, never being truly free. They were always under the jurisdiction of the white land owner. All they had to do was pack up and leave. I don't doubt that they could have found a way to survive. But, they chose to make excuses and stay in bondage.

I began to think about the freedom that we have as believers, followers of Jesus. Romans 6:6-7 says, "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." WE ARE FREE! We are no longer bound by sin. Our chains are gone and we are free.

BUT, how many of us continue to make excuses and stay caught up in bondage? How many of us allow that old life to keep hold of us? How many of us say "I am free" yet live as though we are still slaves?

The point, the only thing that truly matters, is that Jesus Christ paid the price and bought our freedom. We need to take the gift and walk away from the bondage we were living in. Romans 6:15-23 is all about being slaves to righteousness. Read it and believe it. Too often we hear or read about being free, but we don't believe it. God is true to His word. He has set us free and he will take care of us.

What of your "old life" is keeping you in bondage? What excuses are making that do not allow you to walk away from sin? When will you start walking in faith that Jesus DID pay it all?

Originally posted by Dina on April 19