I was watching a show that opened with a prison escape. The Prisoner successfully made it over the wall and in the next scene, unsure of where to go, where police would not be suspect, he wound up in the office of his former professor. Being a person the escapee trusted, the professor counseled him on his next move. It’s in the middle of this conversation that the professor drops the best line when he said, “You haven’t escaped anything if you don’t go on to something.”
A meaningful reflection of Jesus happens as we live for “something.”
The professor highlighted the importance of not reverting back to former relationships and behavior that landed the escapee in prison in the first place. The professor seemed to know that it was bad circumstances that caught the escapee at the wrong place at the wrong time, and believed this man could do something good with his life if he were to not return to prison.
Just like the prisoner who escaped the bondage of prison walls, because of salvation in Jesus, Christians have been set free from the prison of sin. True freedom happens as we live in the victory of Gods design for us.
Truth #1: It’s in the daily living of relationship with Jesus, experiencing His joy and responding with obedience and trust that we living for “something.”
Truth #2: We experience God-given fulfillment at the intersection of freedom from the prison of sin and living in God’s plan for something beyond ourselves.
Living for “Something” looks like living:
- For the kingdom of heaven, which means we pursue people.
- For the church, which means we serve others as an expression of the Body of Christ.
- For our family, which means we prioritize them and focus on their spiritual development.
- For ourselves, which means we give ourselves to the disciplines that help us grow in relationship with Jesus.
I can only imagine the feeling of freedom a prisoner experiences as one moves beyond prison walls. But I can also imagine how the feeling quickly fades if they don’t have something to do next. It’s great to walk away from prison, but it’s important to have something to walk towards. Thankfully Jesus provides both deliverance from prison and something to live for once we’re on the outside.
Let’s capitalize on our escape from sin by choosing to live for Jesus.
Keep Reflecting Jesus!