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. Gal. 5:1
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:23
Dear Lord Jesus, spending these past few days in the Swiss Alps has made my heart soar. Such grandeur, beauty, and breath-taking wonder… it’s hard to absorb this visual feast of splendor. If the new heavens and new earth look no different than the little village of Iseltwald, nestled on the sparkling Azure waters of the Lake of Brienz, I’m a satisfied man.
But, Jesus, this ache and anticipation I feel for the all-things-new-world you have promised, pales in comparison with the longing I have to be finally and fully free. Those you set free are truly free. I am already free in you, Lord, but I’m not as free as I crave to be in life.
Jesus, I want to be free from loving-in-part. I want to be rid of that part of me that still carries scorecards, measuring sticks, and thermometers. I want to repent quicker than I criticize, have more compassion than vexation, and relax more than I cringe.
I want to be free from all racism, stereotyping, and cultural arrogance. Walking the streets of Interlaken yesterday was like a mini-gathering of the nations—a foretaste of the Day when the nations will stream into the New Jerusalem. What a Day that will be.
And yet I found it easier to resent than to rejoice. I wanted to guard my space more than I wanted to make space for others. I wasn’t inclined to offer your welcome with joy. I was more self-conscious about languages I couldn’t speak, smells I didn’t like, and cultural habits that contradict mine.
Have mercy on me, Jesus, and free me to love others as you love me. I rejoice in the hope that one Day I will be as lovely and as loving as you (1 John 3:1-1). I rest in the good news that you will complete your work in me. So very Amen I pray, in your kind and triumphant name.