John 8:36 Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free [eleutheros] indeed.
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be held with the yoke of bondage.
In today’s culture, freedom is often defined as doing whatever you want—living without restrictions, chasing your happiness, and controlling your destiny. But when you dig into the Greek word eleutheros, meaning “free,” you discover that real freedom isn’t about cutting all ties—it’s about being connected to the right things. True freedom isn’t found in isolation, but in surrender to God.
Biblical freedom doesn’t come from the absence of rules but through the mastery of them. It’s like a skilled musician who can play freely because they understand the structure of music. In the same way, living within God’s design brings real freedom. It’s not chaos or rebellion—it’s life in step with the Spirit, guided by the wisdom and boundaries God gives. Freedom, in this sense, is not about being unrestrained, but about being rightly aligned.
Think of it like riding a bike. It’s frustrating and even painful when you don’t know how to ride. But once you’ve learned, the bike becomes a source of joy and freedom. God’s law works the same way. It never changes, and whether it brings blessing or struggle depends on how well we’ve learned to ride in rhythm with it. Yeshua didn’t toss the bike aside—He showed us how to ride it with grace and purpose. He fulfilled the law by living it perfectly and calling us to follow Him.
But without boundaries, what we call “freedom” can quickly turn into slavery. Someone might think they’re free by doing whatever they want, but if that leads to addiction, brokenness, or emptiness — it becomes a trap. Real freedom involves the wisdom to make choices that keep us free, not just for a moment, but for the long haul. That’s why discipline matters. Walking with Yeshua doesn’t take away our freedom—He restores it. His way protects it, His strength upholds it, and His presence helps it last.
The world tells us that freedom is about being in control of ourselves, answering to no one. But that kind of freedom is actually another form of bondage. The harder we try to be our own masters, the more burdened we become with the pressure to succeed, prove ourselves, and keep everything together. True freedom comes when we stop striving and surrender to Someone greater—Yeshua, who carries the weight we were never meant to bear.
That’s why Paul says in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast.” He doesn’t mean to stand on your own strength or independence. He means stay grounded in the freedom Christ gives—the kind of freedom that comes through surrender, not control. In Him, we’re not just freed from something—we’re freed for something. We’re released from the tyranny of self so we can live a life of love, service, and purpose. The law wasn’t given to earn favor, but to show our need for grace. And now, as beloved sons and daughters, we follow not out of duty, but out of love — because we are free!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee flames by jumping to the ground from the roof. His father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” But the boy was afraid — he couldn’t see his father — all he could see was flame, smoke, and blackness. He was afraid. Still, his father kept yelling: “Jump son! I will catch you!” But the boy refused, crying, “Daddy, I can’t see you!” His father replied, “It’s ok son — I can see you — and that’s all that matters!”
After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel finally crossed into the Promised Land—on the 10th day of Nissan, the very day they had been commanded to choose their Passover lamb [Exodus 12:3 , Joshua 4:19]. They couldn’t enter into their inheritance until a lamb was chosen—a powerful foreshadowing of the more excellent Lamb to come, in preparation for the Passover [Joshua 5:10], they were about to observe at Gilgal.
In the days of Yeshua (Jesus), the cross was an instrument of death, and crucifixion, a horrible method of torture. Over the next 200 years, in light of the Lord’s resurrection, the cross became identified with Christian faith and was transformed into a symbol of life and hope. Yeshua was able to turn it upside down, transforming an instrument of death into a symbol of life.
The New Testament records that when Yeshua (Jesus) died; there was a great earthquake and the veil of the Temple was torn in two. The size of this gigantic veil is not recorded in the NT…but we read from other sources that it was roughly 60 feet long and 30 feet wide with multiple woven layers the thickness of a man’s hand! It was hung on a crossbeam stone – a lintel – which was over 30 feet long and weighed more than 30 tons! It was not an easy cloth to tear…
Thousands of people all over the world will celebrate Pesach (Passover) tonight, commemorating the day the Angel of Death passed over the Israelite slaves in Egypt, sparing their firstborn because the blood of a lamb was applied on their doorposts. Many believers in Yeshua (Jesus) also recognize this as the day that Messiah was crucified, offering Himself as the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, which reconciled man to His Maker, and restored them to close relationship.
Tomorrow night, thousands will begin celebrating the feast of Pesach (Passover), the day we remember God’s merciful redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. When the final plague struck Pharoh and the Egyptians in Exodus, those who were spared were the ones who applied blood to their doorposts as God warned. Interestingly, the blood that God required them to apply then was the blood of a spotless, unblemished lamb.
In the parable of the unmerciful servant, the servant mistakenly thought that he could demand justice from another servant all the while asking mercy for himself from the king. When the king found out about this servant’s awful behavior, he became enraged and said to him “You wicked servant, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to; couldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”