Freedom
The 4th Day of Christmas
They’ll realize that I am God when I break them out of their slavery and rescue them from their slave masters. ~ Ezekiel 34:27 (MSG)
Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT)
KEY THOUGHT:
We don't relate to God as a slave master but as a slave redeemer.
PRAYER:
Good God, I'm relieved as I realize that your intentions toward us are all about freedom. I confess that in my quest for personal independence I allow myself to become enslaved to unhealthy patterns and behaviors. That's ironic. Continue to free me from sin and legalism and shame and guilt and... Apply the freedom that Christ brings so that I can live as a totally free person. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
