Freedom in Christ

In the midst of the current lockdown in Slovakia, you may find yourself regularly thinking about the freedom that the future will hold. None of us like to feel trapped in our current circumstances. Our world is facing a perpetually shifting challenge associated with this worldwide pandemic during a time in history where the world is more connected than it ever has been before. This has created a historically unique circumstance that is very difficult for our world to cope with. As wave after wave of the pandemic seems to keep coming, we may begin to wonder when or if this will ever end. How do we rightly apply our faith to times such as this? Thankfully the main content of the Bible is written from a standpoint that transcends circumstances. The Bible speaks into our lives regardless of our circumstances around us. We have recently finished studies through both Philippians and Ruth where both books showed a trust in God’s sovereign plan even when the circumstances did not make sense. Paul was writing from prison about being content in every circumstance. Ruth committed to following the ways of God even when it almost surely meant a life of poverty and widowhood. In both books, we noticed how God worked in their circumstances to accomplish His sovereign will. Today, I want to encourage you to consider what freedom in Christ looks like even in the midst of a national lockdown. Our circumstances no longer define us if we are found in Christ. What do I mean when I say that? In most cases, our circumstances will not just simply go away. Instead, I want to challenge us to refocus our attention not on our circumstances but on the One that we place our hope in. If you are a true disciple of Jesus, you are part of God’s eternal kingdom, His eternal family, His eternal righteousness, His perfect presence, and His unending faithfulness. So how do we find freedom during a lockdown? Freedom is connecting more and more to the eternal nature of God through Jesus. Christ gives us freedom from sin, shame, depression, loneliness, and the list could go on and on. I pray that you would find a greater degree of freedom in Christ, during this time of lockdown, than you have ever known. While Satan may hope to use this time to tempt you to question God and His goodness, I pray God uses this time in your life to solidify and clarify the trustworthiness of His promises He has accomplished through Jesus. Imagine with me for a moment what unbelievers around you would think if they found a community of believers that talked about experiencing true freedom even during a lockdown. This is the kind of hope that changes the world, and God wants to use you to display this hope. We may be in lockdown, but we can find hope in Paul’s words in Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” In Christ, Nick, Amanda, and Julia Gagnon