Thoughts for the Day

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’

Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

It can take six weeks to get rid of the craving for chocolate, so if you gave it up for Lent, you will just about have lost the desire for it before you start eating Easter eggs! My test has always been to put something like a bar of chocolate in a cupboard out of reach, and to fight the temptation to open it. After six weeks there is no temptation, it has completely gone and I usually end up throwing it out. Does this work for other things that tempt us like cigarettes, or alcohol, I suspect it may.

Jesus says we are slaves to sin, but what does he mean by sin? Well strictly speaking it's anything that breaks Jesus' commands to love God and to love one another. But that hides things we do unconsciously - the times we are selfish and self-centred, forgetting others in our plans; the days we steam-roller loved ones into doing things that don't work for them; or become sulky when we don't get our way; or hold others to ransom to ensure we get what we want.

Just as we can become slaves to chocolate, cigarettes, or alcohol, we can also be slaves to sin. If we're honest we know our besetting sins. Jesus says the "truth will make us free", and that is about being honest with ourselves and with God.

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to be honest with ourselves
and to understand the sins we commit daily.
May we confess our sins to You,
ask Your forgiveness,
and attempt to change our life
as we move forward into the future.
Amen.