‘He has sent Me…to proclaim liberty to the captives.’
Luke 4:18 NKJV
1. Michelangelo’s masterpiece David is in a gallery in Florence, Italy. Thousands of tourists wait for hours every day to get a glimpse. But many of them fail to notice the series of unfinished sculptures that line the corridor on the way to David. Their forms are identifiable –
2... a hand here, a torso there. The statues were intended to adorn the tomb of Pope Julius ll, but they were never finished. It’s almost as if they are trying to break free and become what they were intended to be, but they are stuck in stone. Michelangelo called them captives.
3. Have you ever felt like a captive? You can’t seem to break free from habitual sins that have held you back. You know who you want to be, what you want to do & where you want to go, but you can’t seem to get there. Regardless of how long you’ve been stuck, God wants to finish..
4...what He started in your life. Jesus said His mission was to set captives free (see Luke 4:18). We tend to think of that statement in judicial terms; salvation is our get-out-of-jail-free card. But it’s much more. Maybe we should think of that statement in artistic terms.
5. Jesus also died to resurrect the person we were destined to be before sin distorted the image of God in us. We are held captive by our imperfections & insecurities; by our guilt & anxieties. Jesus died to set us free from all the above. And He doesn’t just set us free from who
6...we were, He sets us free to become who we were meant to be.
‘Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’
Hebrews 12:1 NIV
1. The story is told of a traveller who met a guru along the road and asked him, ‘Where’s the road to success?’ The bearded sage didn’t speak but instead pointed to a place off in the far distance. The man, thrilled at the prospect of quick and easy success, rushed off in the...
2...appropriate direction. Splat! Down he went! He limped back, bruised & stunned. Assuming he must have misinterpreted the message, he repeated his question & again the philosopher pointed silently in the same direction. So the traveller took off once more. This time the splat..
"Being rich for us was something else. Rich for us was food to eat, drink to drink. You have a big plate in the middle of the table with some jollof rice and some chicken? You are rich that day, my friend" - Antonio Rudiger
"For me, football was not about dreaming. It was about survival. It was almost like choosing to become a plumber or a baker or a lawyer. It was a way to provide. I would be lying to you if I said that I dreamed of having big cars or playing in the Champions League or whatever."
"I was in the kitchen one morning and I asked my mother for a little bit of money. I think it was for a school trip or something. It was just a few euros. But she couldn't give it to me. And I remember exactly what hurt me. It wasn't that she said no. It was the look on her face"
"Why did the press, fans & players all come together to stop the Super League in 48hrs, but when there is racist abuse at a stadium, it's always “complicated”?
Maybe because it's not just a few idiots in the stands.
One day I was walking down the street near my building when I saw an older German lady carrying some grocery bags. She was like a grandma, very weak and struggling. So I went over to help her. I said, “Here, I’ll help you with the bags. I can take them up.” And I will never...
...forget this lady turning to me, and the look of fear on her face. She thought that I was trying to steal her bags. She really thought that I was robbing her. It was just a moment. But you can’t get that moment back. The innocence ― it’s gone.
‘Blessed (happy, to be envied…) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant).’
Matthew 5:3 AMPC
1. When the rosy glow diminishes and reality sets in, what makes some marriages happy while others slide into misery? Luck? Good genes? Hanging tough? Hardly! Marital happiness that transcends changing circumstances is built on the qualities Jesus taught. Let’s look at them:
2. 1) Happy are the humble. ‘Blessed (happy…) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant).’ Pride that’s self-promoting and always demanding its rights brings misery, while humility, self-denial and considering your mate’s needs brings happiness.