May 5
WHY REMAIN CAPTIVE?
"The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity" Deut. 30:3
God's own people may sell themselves into captivity by sin. A very
bitter fruit is this, of an exceeding bitter root. What a bondage it
is when the child of God is sold under sin, held in chains by Satan,
deprived of his liberty, robbed of his power in prayer, and his
delight in the Lord! Let us watch that we come not into such bondage;
but if this has already happened to us, let us by no means despair.
But we cannot be held in slavery for ever. The Lord Jesus has paid
too high a price for our redemption to leave us in the enemy's hand.
The way to freedom is, "Return unto the Lord thy God." Where we first
found salvation we shall find it again. At the foot of Christ's cross
confessing sin we shall find pardon and deliverance. Moreover, the
Lord will have us obey His voice according to all that He has
commanded us, and we must do this with all our heart, and all our
soul, and then our captivity shall end.
Often depression of spirit and great misery of soul are removed as
soon as we quit our idols and bow ourselves in obedience before the
living God. We need not be captives. We may return to Zion's
citizenship, and that speedily. Lord, turn our captivity!