Free Indeed

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
Sheer exhaustion and a navigation device led me and my husband to the nearest beach we could find recently. We typed in the address of our seaside hotel and let the navigating voice lead the way. While cruising down the interstate, the directions took us to an off beaten path. Straight off I-20, we headed down narrow country roads lined with rows of white cotton. A harvester was plowing through the fields as we passed. My mind raced back to pictures of slaves bent over in the hot sun, fingers bleeding, while sweat poured off their bodies. Thank heavens for the abolition of slavery and the invention of a cotton harvester.

After passing the cotton  fields we headed straight through the downtown of a lightly populated city. It looked like a scene from an old western movie. A local hardware stood on one corner, and a general store across the street. What caught my eye next nearly slumped me over in my seat. Right in front of me  emerged a white clapboard church, crowned with a steeple (minus the cross). The sign out front was not a sign depicting the name of a church. No, this neon sign boasted "Adult Entertainment."

Moments before I was thankful for the progression in men's hearts to abolish slavery and find a way to move civilization forward. Now I second guessed any progression in men's hearts. Slavery still exists - just not in the cotton fields a few miles back. Bondage that takes into captivity the hearts of men and women who slither the floors of a forsaken church is modern day slavery.

I ached to let these captives know there was One who paid a high price to set them free. Their nights no longer need persuade them to return to the place that drains the blood from their souls. They could walk away free, never to return to an evil master who lures with lies and pays with cruelty. The harvester of their souls shed sweat and blood so they could live in freedom.

Are you a slave to anything? Are there neon signs that draw you into forbidden places, or people that could destroy your heart? The cross is still alive with power to set men free.