Rev. Ray and Pat Amos
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
It is Independence Day. I am not free because I am an American. I am free because Jesus released me from the bondage of a sinful heart. He opened the door that I could not. He says to the person who sleeps in the darkness, “Arise, Shine, the Light has come; and to the one who sleeps in the tomb, “Come forth!” If we want to be free today, then let us come to the One who holds the keys to all freedom; and let us speak His name: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”
I can still see her in my heart’s memory. Against the soft glow of an oil lamp her silhouette was a comforting sight on the mountain. Seeing Aunt Clare sitting by her window seemed to say that all was well. When going to her house we went through the barnyard gate. As a child I would swing on the gate. Those were storybook days that came and went at the speed of childhood.
The time came when the gate was no longer easy to open because the hinges were rusty and the gate was dragging against the weeds. Her health was failing, and things were changing on the mountain.
Our hearts can be like that gate. When we were children, the door opened so freely to receive the Bible stories. It was as though angels could come and go at will, and having Christ in our heart came with a simple faith.
Some have found that the heart that once opened so freely to the child has with the passing of time become stuck for the adult. The weeds of a stressful life can drag us down, and sin can work like silent rust. We do not realize what it has done until one day when we desperately need to open the door of faith, and we find that it is not so easy anymore.
The good news is that there is no door that Jesus cannot open. He said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” If we should find it rusty and stuck shut, a simple prayer will do. “Come in Lord Jesus, come, you are wanted here.” He will do the rest.
The only way to be independent is to depend fully upon God.
“I’m free from the fear of tomorrow
I’m free from the guilt of the past
For I’ve traded my shackles for a glorious song
I’m Free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!”
Grace and Peace, Rev Ray
