Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
which He lavished on us. .."
I have been reading Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legendary "I have a
dream" speech. I had just graduated from high school and I remember
watching the television coverage of the "Great March on Washington" in
August of 1963. Delivered to an audience of 250,000 in the shadow of
the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King concluded his stirring oration with the
now-famous words, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we
are free at last!"
Dr. King was speaking of equality and justice for African-Americans.
Those words also echo the apostle Paul's reminder to the Ephesians (and
to us). Scripture teaches that each of us was born a slave to sin, and
Satan was our master. Paul joyously declares that because Jesus paid
our purchase price (death) with His own blood, we have been redeemed.
We are free at last, no longer in bondage to sin!
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1865 freed the American slaves, but for
many, the realization of freedom was a gradual process. It took years
to shed the mindset that had been engrained in them for generations.
So it is with me. God lavished His grace on me, paid the redemption
price in full on the Cross, and declared me to be free! However, it
has taken me a lifetime to actually think and live as a man freed from
the domination of sin. I'm doing better, but I occasionally fall back
into old old patterns of thinking and behaving. Thank God that His Holy
Spirit indwells me and keeps making "course corrections" in my life.
Lord, I read Paul's words and I understand what they mean, yet I will
never in this lifetime fully comprehend the vastness of your love and
grace. Thank You for freeing me from a life dominated by sin. Please
help me today to live as a free man. Let my countenance and my behavior
declare with Dr. King and with Paul, "Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, I am free at last!
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