Freed from Ourselves

Weekend Series: Titus Reading Plan

DreamTeam Writer: Julie Mabus

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

In J.R.R. Tolkien's book, “The Hobbit,” we meet an unsavory character named Gollum. We learn a bit about his history throughout the story and discover that, although he was never an admirable creature, he was not thoroughly evil until he found the ring of power. Through the power of this ring, he gradually became enslaved to it, his “Precious.”

The ring is taken from Gollum by a Hobbit named Bilbo, who pities him and spares his life when he has the opportunity to kill him. We wonder why Bilbo chose to spare this wretched creature, but the refrain of, “even the very wise cannot see all ends” runs through the story.

We, too, are like Gollum—we have our own Precious. These are the hidden things we refuse to give up that end up mastering us. We think our Precious can meet our desires and satisfy us, yet it destroys us. The very freedoms we crave become our masters. In our natural states, we delight in our own destruction and fight against the good that God desires for us.

Titus 3:3-4
3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,…

But then light shines on our darkness. God sees our wretched state and steps in to free us. Unlike Bilbo, God can see our ends. He knows what impact our redemption will have on those around us. It is through this kindness that God has chosen to redeem his broken world. He breaks the power of sin over our lives and uses us as free people to bring hope to our communities. We are no longer under the power of Precious. The ring of power has been destroyed, and Jesus’ light is flooding our communities through us.

But just as Gollum did not deserve Bilbo’s mercy, we do not deserve God’s. Grasping the extravagant mercy of God should bring us to our knees before him. Mercy becomes the impetus for us to perform radical acts of love in our communities. When we are freed from the burden of our desires, we can live in the freedom only God can give.

Questions:
What “Precious” are you holding onto? Are there sins that are keeping you from the freedom God wants for his children?

Next Steps:
Ask God to reveal sin struggles in your life. Find someone you can trust and confess those to that person.

Commit to serving on at least one Second Saturday Serve project in the next year.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank you for your extravagant mercy. Thank you for seeking me in my darkness and bringing me into the light. Thank you for destroying the power of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Give me the strength to fight against the sins that burden me and hold me captive. Help me be a light to those around me and to show others what living in the power of Jesus looks like. Use me to transform my family and community. Amen

Series Theme Verse:

Titus 2:14
“He [Jesus] gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”

Today's post was written by Julie Mabus, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.

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