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June 26 | John 8:31-36


DAILY READING


REFLECTION

 

Are You Still a Slave?


By Gene Pierce


The Jews who here confessed faith to Jesus proudly said they were free of foreign (pagan) control, that the Jewish people had never been slaves to another nation.


To be fair, that was God’s promise to His people in Deuteronomy 15:7 if they followed Him faithfully. However, Israel hadn’t been an independent nation for more than 500 years, and were currently dominated by Roman government puppets, troops, taxes and the law.


Instead of affirming their statement, Jesus points them to true slavery: sin, and offered them true freedom.


Q. What does this mean for us in 2026, the 250th year of our nation’s existence?

A. We can identify as Republican, Democrat, Independent or None of the Above as the best route to “freedom”, but Jesus calls us to a different game, in a different arena, for a different judge.


That’s because the root cause of our world’s problems isn’t government policy. All our problems start in the human heart, which is full of greed, lust, pride, hatred, selfish ambition, idolatry, jealousy, envy and more. See Galatians 5:19-21 for an even longer list of human sins.


As Paul writes in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Understanding that, recognizing Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and being led by the Holy Spirit will set us truly free.


This gives followers of Jesus a different perspective, far beyond the shifting winds of political gamesmanship from Presidents, Senators, Governors, etc. and those who’d like to replace them. 


Even if we have His freedom, God still tells us to seek justice and love mercy (Micah 6:8a) so

  • be an active citizen: study the issues, express your opinions, engage in your community,

  • remember that Scripture does not tell us to agree on everything, but it does tell us to love one another in humility before God (see Micah 6:8b) and

  • don’t be surprised if God re-shapes some of your political inclinations as He re-shapes your heart.


So, to truly honor the 250th year of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” let God transform our hearts to make us free. Then we can change our world, starting with our own attitudes and behavior, and bring God’s transforming love to our families, friends and the random people we run into every day – and our government.


We will all do best when we rely on Jesus’ guarantee of freedom, a promise that will surely be kept, unlike the promises we hear every election.

 

PRAYER

Lord, give us new hearts so we can enjoy true freedom, freedom that comes from You alone. Transform our hearts to follow Jesus so You can use us to transform our world, for Your honor and praise, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Gene Pierce is a longtime member of UALC and our International Missions Committee and former Council member, still learning how to balance life, work and faith. Gene and his wife Elaine are blessed to be parents of four and grandparents of nine.


 
 
 
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