In the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption,” you see the difficulty people have transitioning from a life in prison to a life of freedom. Familiar with years of incarceration, they have trouble shifting gears and knowing how to live as a free person.
This was true for the the Israelites who were freed from Egyptian bondage. They had to learn how to live out their freedom. Those who find themselves released from the bondage of sin also have to learn to live out their freedom.
Exodus chapters 13-14, gives us clues as to how we can live out our freedom in Christ.
- ALWAYS REMEMBER the price of your freedom, (Ex. 13:8-10) (Ex.13:14-16). Where a lamb was provided in place of the Israelites’ first born sons, God provided the life of His first born in place of us, so that we might be released from the bondage of our sin.
- ALWAYS RELY on God for your needs. You can trust Him, because God doesn’t just set us free.
- He continues to guide us in the paths that are best for us, (Ex. 13:17-18) (Ex. 13:21-22).
- He provides for our needs, (Ex. 16-17).
- He sees to our protection, (Ex. 14:19-20).
- He makes a way for us through the obstacles and difficulties, (Ex. 14:16) (1 Cor. 10:13).
- ALWAYS RESPOND to God’s direction and leading. Even though God provided a way through the sea, they still had to move, (Ex. 14:15). Even though God set them free from Egyptian bondage, they still had to walk out into the unknown. Responding to God completes the loop of our freedom.
Is your life more freedom or bondage? If you’re still experiencing bondage, what do you need to shore up…remembering, relying, or responding?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.