“Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas; and after he brought them out, he said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’” (Acts 16:25-30 NASB)
I have a book on my shelf entitled, “From Exodus to Bondage.” I have never read the book, but by the title I imagine it has to be about God’s people, how they made the exodus from Egyptian captivity, and all the associated negativity that went with it, and later in their history to a forgetful time down the road where they ended up in Babylonian bondage. I may be wrong, but like I said, “I have never read the book.” However, there is one thing know that I’m right about. God did not rescue us from some sin, bring us out of some situation, deliver us from some scenario of life that brought about suffering, for us to return back to where He freed us! It is not God’s intent for us to go into bondage after He has orchestrated an exodus in any aspect of our lives.
Listen! He did not bring us out of the things that caused us to have this feeling of being imprisoned to return back to the thing or things that caused that feeling of being incarcerated, figuratively speaking, in the first place. God did not bring us out of our addiction of any sort to go back to the same habitual behavior. The Lord did not give us a new way of living to go back, giving up, and doing what we said we would not do anymore. Our gracious Father did not give us joy that came after a nighttime of suffering, to steer our minds right back to the place where we were suffering, and where nighttime was waiting with open arms again. Our loving Creator did not deliver us so that shortly after we would dive right back into what is a detour from the path of righteousness, paved by the Divine. Are you still reading? If it seems like I am talking to you rather than writing to you, are you still listening?
God did not bring Paul and Silas out of the Philippian jail to go back into bondage. As a matter of fact, and as you can read for yourself, they continued immediately doing the Lord’s work. Furthermore, God did not intend for just the Philippian jailer to be freed from his old beliefs to go back to doing his job with the wrong thoughts about the preaching of the gospel and the power of God. He was to bring Paul and Silas into his house to do a form of “door-to-door” ministry; some house ministry. (Side note: Some of us need to be doing some house ministry today!) Like I said above, “It is not God’s intent for us to go into bondage after He has orchestrated an exodus in any aspect of our lives.”
If you have experienced an exodus, a leaving something behind, a departure brought about by the intervening hand of God, keep in mind that you are not to go back to bondage. I’ll tell you again, “It is not God’s intent for us to go into bondage after He has orchestrated an exodus in any aspect of our lives.” Think on these things my friend! Stay God-conscious! Be blessed!
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 ESV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King