Are You Trapped?
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. – John 8:31-36 NKJV.
The Message puts John 8:34-35 as: Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will.”
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. – 1 John 2:15-16 NKJV.
A homeless woman in Key West, Florida somehow became trapped in a huge banyan tree. Police and Fire and Rescue were able to extricate the woman from the tree. What a predicament to be in! She was virtually unable to move with her legs sticking out of the twisted tree. Why did the woman try to climb the tree? The answer? The woman said: “It looked like fun.” (Yahoo 05.12.16)
Did the woman in Key West intend to become trapped in a tree? Of course not. It is never the intention of anyone to become trapped in a tree or of anyone to become trapped in sin. How often is it though that we become trapped because it “Looks like fun?”
There are a multitude of traps, of snares that can keep us from reaching our potential as children of God. Focusing upon the attractions, the allures of this world, instead of upon Jesus (Hebrews 12:3) is a trap. Having pride in all that you do and say without giving glory to God is a trap (1 Peter 5:6). Constantly seeking only what makes you feel good or pleasures you is a trap (Romans 8:5-6). Being only concerned with your home, or your land, or the money you have in the bank is a trap (Matthew 6:24). Those are just a few of the traps that we can fall into in life.
The truth is that you may not be an actual slave trapped in a life of menial labor, but you may be trapped as a slave to sin. How can you escape from the trap you have fallen into? How can you have the freedom that God wants you to have? Jesus tells us in John 8: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. …Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”