Jesus and Abraham

source: mb.com.ph

JOHN 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, “If you remain in My word, you will truly be My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered Him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill Me, because My word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”

They answered and said to Him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” [So] they said to Him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on My own, but He sent Me.”

Reflection

The truth will set you free. Have you experienced feeling so free that the air blows fresh and the sun shines bright, that your heart soars and the Lord seems real and near? This is the kind of freedom you enjoy when the hurts in your life no longer bother you, when material possessions do not matter either, when cares do not weigh you down—all because you believe that the Lord is with you. It is not freedom to do what you want. It is freedom where there is no fear, where you are enslaved to no one and nothing but your dream, beholden to nobody but your God, and driven by nothing but your love. This is the freedom of Jesus, where one is liberated from sin and lives the truth.

You may have been given a clean bill of health, or you have reconciled with an estranged partner, or you simply feel so blessed. This freedom is a new way of looking at things, a new self, a child on the shoulders of the Father, and a person reconciled with self, humbled before God, and hopeful in Jesus.

Visit a place you have never been to.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2011,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.,); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: books@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

source: mb.com.ph