John Stanko

"Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains" - Psalm 116:16.

The psalmist had a family heritage of serving the Lord, yet the psalmist also had a testimony that he had been in bondage or chains at some point in time. It's possible he was in chains even while he was serving the Lord. Someone can love the Lord and still be addicted to something as simple as television reality shows or something more serious like drugs or pornography. God is able to break your chains no matter how strong they are, for He is stronger, but you must want to be set free -- God will not separate you from your friends if you are that attached to them. Jesus once set a man free and if this man could be set free, then you can be set free as well: "This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones" (Mark 5:3-5). Are you addicted to something or have a overpowering negative habit? Cry out to the Lord and He will set you free, but only if that is what you want.

Today's reading - Psalms 116-120