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Prisoner by choice!
People sometimes come to realise that some of the things they always thought to be right do not even make sense; but they find it so hard to admit that now! What would their friends think if they did not continue to think the same as they did? So they still argue for those things they are not really convinced about. They have allowed themselves to become trapped in their thinking by their friends, or religion, or teachers. They are prisoners by choice because they are not free to think for themselves.
Maybe you have felt like that!
Here is the story of some very respectable people who were clearly trapped in their minds.
It was "at daybreak" when "the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together". Jesus was brought before them - He was in a terrible state. Throughout the night the soldiers who had been guarding Him had been mocking and beating Him.
1*.
"If you are the Christ, tell us," they demanded. Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe Me, and if I asked you, you would not answer."
2*.
Jesus knew that those religious men were like prisoners - they were not free to answer for themselves what was obvious about Jesus. They were taught that they must NOT believe that Jesus was their Messiah - the Saviour sent from God.
3*.
And they were not allowed to believe that Jesus was the One who alone could "take away the sin of the world."
4*.
They were not free to consider Jesus own words - they were prisoners to the teachings of their religious leaders whose words they had chosen to trust rather than listen to Jesus for themselves.
Beware of choosing to become a prisoner in your mind to someone. You become a
prisoner by choice
when you decide that you will accept someone or some teaching without question and are not free to use your mind to check everything out for yourself.
Are you a prisoner? See if you are free to check out these things about Jesus for yourself!
Are you free to check out and believe Jesus when He says He is the only Saviour5*.
- or are you told by others that you must believe you can only be forgiven by their words and actions?
Are you free to choose to believe that Jesus paid for all our sins by His death on the cross
6*.
- or have you accepted from others, without question, that you must make satisfaction for your own sin?
Are you free to believe Jesus when He says that He is the only Mediator between God and man
7*.
- or does the pressure of friends and religion keep you thinking you can pray to God through many other people as well?
Jesus encourages you and me to use our minds and to "search the Scriptures" for ourselves to hear and understand and believe the truth about God.
8*.
Don’t be like the religious leaders who were judging Jesus in this story from Luke chapter 22, verses 63-71. Make sure you are free to make a wise decision about who Jesus is and what He can do for you today.
9*.
To read more of Luke's account of the life of Jesus turn to the Gospel of Luke in the Holy Bible.
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Co.Cork, Ireland.
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In order to browse another message from Luke's Gospel check out the review index.
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Luke 22:63-66. 2 Luke 22:67-68. 3 Luke 22:71. John 9:22. 4 Mark 2:7. John 1:29. 5 1st John 4:14. Acts 4:12. 6 1st Peter 3:18. 2:24. 7 John 14:6. 1st Timothy 2:5. 1st John 2:1-2. 8 John 5:39-40. Acts 17:11. 9 John 20:31. 3:16-19.
