Eyes Wide Open: 40-Day Lenten Devotional Sample

The Death That Brought Us Freedom

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” - Galatians 5:1

When most people think of death, they don’t first think about freedom. In our world, death so often means separation and mourning—the ending of loved one’s earthly lives followed by long periods of grieving that which has been lost. 

But perhaps most familiar to all of us, death feels fearsomely inescapable. It marks the inevitable end of each of our lives. In a culture that denies metaphysical realities, miracles, and the existence of God, death can be neither transcended nor prevented. In one form or another, we shall all meet our final end one day—our bodies buried, burned, or otherwise disposed of and only our legacies left behind.

But one man’s death changed all of this forever. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, didn’t just come to earth and live the life we couldn’t live—a life in perfect service of the Father in heaven. He died the death we should have died in recompense for our many wrongs. Those who accept this gift of salvation aren’t just forgiven; they are truly free. Free from fear, free from judgment, free from shame, and free from guilt.

But what we are free for is sometimes unclear. Did God free us in Christ to do good works? To help our neighbors? To live lives worthy of the calling we have received? Yes, these things and more should be a part of our daily routines. But most importantly, it is for freedom itself that we have been set free. 

It’s a freedom that lets us receive the Father’s love and generous blessings without shame or pretense. 

No more performing, striving, or fighting to free ourselves; before the cross, we are made perfectly whole. 

Prayer: Lord, we are so grateful that you have done the work of freeing us from our sin and shame. Help us to respond by living in light of the freedom you offer us through the cross of Christ. Amen.