Cured from My Addiction?

For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, I will not serve. Jeremiah 2:20

Nearly 20 years ago, though I didn’t feel sick, I was diagnosed with an illness, which if left untreated, would have taken my life. The treatment was fairly simple – a surgeon removed my thyroid gland – and I was cured. Daily now, I must take a thyroid replacement pill and if I failed to do so, I would eventually slip into a coma and fade away. Those who provided my medical care nearly 20 years ago saved me from my illness, but now I must take my daily medication, or severe consequences will ensue.

This is similar to our condition as Christians. God has set us free from slavery to ourselves, but now, we must follow him daily. In today’s passage, God laments the fact that he freed his people, only to watch them use that freedom to crawl back into slavery.

This is a possibility that I missed in my first attempt at recovery. I bought into the idea that I was forever cured. So, when I indulged in my destructive appetite again, I was surprised to find myself addicted again. God freed me, but I misused that freedom to return to my destruction.

It’s vital that we understand our freedom in Christ. When we turn to him, he opens the door to our prison and beckons us to follow him. He does not force us though. He saves us and asks us to follow. If we choose, we can leave the prison, only to turn around and walk right back into it. This is freedom and he allows it.

Who then, is responsible for our struggle? Does God free us or must we do something? Yes. God sets us free, but we are now responsible to do whatever it takes to follow him daily. When we fail to do so, our own pursuits naturally fill the void. We are going to follow something when we fail to follow him, we follow ourselves. God has set us free. Now, we must daily choose to live in that freedom.