LHM Daily Devotions - At Home

"At Home"

Oct. 25, 2018

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered Him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

~ John 8:31-36 (ESV)

"I want to go home." Who hasn't said that at one time or another? We want to be somewhere safe, comfortable, permanent. Even those of us who never had a home like that still yearn for one. If only we could be home -- in the best sense of that word -- forever!

But only family members stay in the home forever. Guests come and go; paid workers are there for a day or a week, and then they're gone. And slaves in Jesus' day had an extra fear on top of all the other evils of their situation; they knew that, if they got sick or grew old, they could lose their home. They could be sold or abandoned. They were not family members, so they had no security. How that fact must have weighed on their hearts.

Jesus knows this. He says, "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Jesus knows that we yearn for stability and peace --things we will never have while we are still enslaved by sin. So, Jesus took steps to free us from our slavery. He laid down His own life to pay the ransom for us, to redeem us from our slavery. As the risen Son of God, He made us freed men and women -- no, more than that -- He adopted us into God's own family. And now we can remain forever.

Think of that! We have a home now -- one that will never be destroyed or lost to us. We have brothers and sisters to love and care for. We have a Father who protects us and provides for our needs. And in God's home, we can grow to the full perfection God intended for us when He first made us -- the perfection of the children of God.

THE PRAYER: Dear Savior, thank You for setting me free at the cost of Your own life, and for bringing me into the family of God. Keep me with You always. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
"I want to go home." Who hasn't said that at one time or another?