By: Arnie Cole and Michael Ross
Today's passage
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Reflect
-Is the truth setting me free?
-Am I allowing myself access to this liberating truth, or have I established barriers that prohibit God from truly entering into my heart?
-What might be prohibiting me from truly knowing Jesus' truth?
In this deceptively simple verse, Jesus tells us that if we follow His teachings, we will learn His truth and be liberated. Sounds great, doesn't it? The problem, though, is that sometimes it looks like we are following Jesus' teachings pretty well on the outside, but on the inside, we haven't handed over our whole hearts. Remember the story of the rich man in Matthew 19, the one who claimed he had kept all of God's commandments? When Jesus tells the rich man to hand over his possessions to the poor, the man goes away sad. Not only could the rich man not hand over his wealth, he also couldn't trust Jesus enough to hand over his heart. His inability to surrender and trust prohibited him from knowing Jesus' liberating truth.
Respond
Ask for Change: Lord, help me identify the barriers I've erected that keep me from loving You with my whole heart. Help me trust You so that I will be freed.
Consider what's real: Consider what Jesus might ask you to hand over, if He were to stand before you today. Would it be your worldly possessions like the young rich man? Would it be your career? Your ambitions? Your authority? Your health? Your family? Thinking about the one thing you might hesitate to relinquish might illuminate a spiritual barrier in your path toward truth.
Additional verses to consider: Matthew 19:16-22, Proverbs 3:5-6
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