Beautiful Word: Your Daily Devotion

Daily Scriptural Insights, Curated by the Editors of CT | [View online]( [ChristianityToday.org]( [Beautiful Word Newsletter]( Monday, February 27, 2017 Who You Already Are [Rebekah Lyons]( Lyons&db=true) Today’s Verse Powered by the [New Living Translation]( “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:2 [View in context]( Do you ever see glimpses of freedom? Moments when heaven seems to touch earth, or insecurities disappear and masks fall away? Or when the weight of the world lightens, and you realize, “Yes, this is how life is meant to be”? Scripture describes these moments as shalom; a state of complete peace, wholeness, wellness, safety, and rest. These moments are full of harmony, where there is no tension or aggravation with anyone. God desires for us to be complete, and freedom is a huge part of that. If only we felt “kept” in that place of freedom—but the Enemy throws everything our way to counter this. Expectations return in full force. Insecurities bombard with lies: Do more. You’ll never measure up. And we often wonder, Is complete freedom just something to hope for, not to be fully realized until heaven? Going back to the New Testament, we are assured that we are to live as people who are free (1 Pet. 2:16) because Christ has already set us free (Gal. 5:1) and has given us the Spirit to keep us free (2 Cor. 3:17). Christ not only calls us to a free life, he calls us to operate out of the freedom he has already given us. We have permission to let go of the pressure to perform and rest in God’s unwavering mercy. It’s incredible, really. The work has already been done through Jesus; there’s nothing we can add to the Cross, and nothing we can take away. Freedom became the most precious gift, because it was the most costly. He beckons us to step into this gift—to walk as people who are free. This means we don’t have to work for freedom. Instead, we can claim the freedom Jesus already lavished on us. Take off your masks; lay down the pressure to keep up. You were meant to be free—to be who you already are. Reflect: Read Romans 8:2. Is there something specific holding you back from stepping into Christ’s freedom right now? Perhaps risk, fear, doubt, or heartbreak? Pray: Praise Jesus for his love, thanking him for the gift of freedom he has already given you through his death and resurrection. Rebekah Lyons is the author of [You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are]( (Zondervan) and cofounder of Q Ideas. Learn more at [RebekahLyons.com](. [Read devotions online]( | [Share with a friend](mailto:&subject=Christianity Today Women: Who You Already Are&body= More for Women [Study: Female Pastors Are on the Rise]( [Study: Female Pastors Are on the Rise]( And so are our impossible expectations for them. Halee Gray Scott [Give Your Kids the Gift of Absence]( [Give Your Kids the Gift of Absence]( Time and attention are not the only ways to bless our children. Amy Julia Becker Follow Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [RSS]( [Subscribe to this newsletter]( In the Current Issue [March]( [The Benedict Option's Vision for a Christian Village]( [Subscriber access only] [Gene Yang: A Graphic Novelist Caught Between Two Worlds]([Subscriber access only] [In the Image of Our Choosing]([Subscriber access only] [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( Christian Bible Studies [A Truly Simple Life]( ) Though the world tells us we must be, do, and have more, God calls us to be content. Single Session Bible Study [Beautiful Word]( Delivered via email to subscribers daily. [Subscribe]( | [Email Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Advertise]( | [Subscribe to CT]( You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2017 [ChristianityToday.org]( Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.