“36 ‘But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so that they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.” NIV

‘He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king,’ Augustine.

Jesus said, ‘’Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave of sin’’ (John 8:34).

Note in today’s reading:

Sin means slavery. It offers freedom, but when we indulge in it, we find ourselves ensnared;

Sin causes us to live below our possibilities; our lives become less than God-intended; we fail to enjoy what He intends for us. Promising to give, it instead takes. It burgles our souls. Like the tempter himself, it is a thief;

Sin may offer pleasure and fulfilment, but it leads to ‘’great distress’’.

‘Sin attracts with its offer of pleasure, but in the end he who indulges finds that he has no pleasure at all.’ (David H. Wheaton).

‘’…a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him’’ (2 Peter 2:19b).

Thank God that in John 8 Jesus goes on to say: ‘’…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’’ (36). True freedom can be found in Him. He is the only way out of sin’s slavery.