5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
John 8:31-32 (CSB): “Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”
Reflecting on God’s Word
In the New Testament, the original Greek word translated as “disciple” refers to someone who is a student or follower of a rabbi or teacher. In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), we are not told to merely go and get people saved, but instead, to “make disciples.” We are commanded to share the Gospel with others with the intention that they become a lifelong student and follower of Jesus.
But not all New Testament disciples were lifelong followers. Some only followed Jesus for a season before abandoning Him.
John 6:66-67 (CSB): “From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘You don’t want to go away too, do you?'”
So, there have been and always will be people who profess to be followers of Jesus but will not stand the test of time. At some point, and for various reasons, they will no longer follow Him, demonstrating that they never belonged to Him in the first place (1 John 2:19).
How do we know if we are a lifelong disciple, someone who is genuinely saved? That answer is given in the verses I have chosen for today.
John 8:31-32 (CSB): “Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”
Simply put, one of the telltale signs that we are genuine disciples of Jesus is getting into His Word, getting His Word into us, and striving (in the power of God’s Holy Spirit) to live according to it. If we abandon it, never to return, we are almost certainly not saved. If we continue to follow Jesus for the long haul, even as we continually struggle with sin and may even stray from Him for a season, we demonstrate that we are almost certainly saved.
But Jesus said something else in John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What does that mean? Jesus had previously said that if we are genuinely saved, we will set aside personal freedom to a life of following Him. And then, in the very next breath, He said that we would know the truth and it would set us free. What is the freedom He spoke of?
Simply put, if we are genuinely saved, we will cultivate a love for our God and His Word. We will spend time in our Bibles and cultivate a mind that is increasingly informed and guided by the truths of God’s Word. And the deep knowledge of God’s Word will set us free.
Set us free for what? Will we be able to do as we please?
Yes! A thousand times, yes!
If we are cultivating a biblical mind by studying God’s Word, and if we love our God supremely as the First and Greatest Commandment calls for, then we will be free to pursue what we desire. What will we desire? The Lord, His Word, and the lifestyle that is pleasing to Him.
We will be set free from the power of sin to follow Him, enjoy Him, obey Him, and so much more! Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians.
Romans 6:22 (NLT): “But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.”
Does that make sense? If we are saved, we have been set free from the power of sin. But as we trust in Jesus and spend time in His Word, we find the resources and refreshment that our soul needs. So, instead of using our freedom in sinful ways, we willingly choose to see ourselves as enslaved to God to do His will. We use our freedom to willfully choose to become slaves of our wonderful God, pursuing obedience to Him and restfully available to do His will each and every moment of our lives!
And this, my friend, demonstrates that we are genuine disciples of Jesus.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you see that when you disobey Him, you are making yourself a slave to sin (John 8:34).
- Ask God to help you embrace the freedom He gave you at the moment you first trusted in Jesus, and to use that freedom to serve Him and enjoy Him all the more.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into what it means that the truth of God’s Word sets us free, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“What does it mean that we are free indeed (John 8:36)?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 