The gospel is summed up in John 17:3 ESV, where Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” It is so simple, yet so profound. We have the invitation to know Jesus intimately and know God, the only true God.

Our worship is punctuated by the fact that God, for all his divinity and splendor, looked down on people suffering and stuck in bondage and set them free. This is what God does, and we get to see him in this way today.

We all get stuck. We all miss out on a moment to praise, hear God’s voice, or be obedient. Not one of us will live a perfect life. We all need the blood of Jesus to cover over our failed track record. But my offer to you today is to practice entering and re-entering communion with God through thanksgiving.

Where would we be without the salvation of God? We have experienced the life of Jesus, if only a taste of it, and our eyes are opened to just how good he is and just how free we can be in him. Consider how painful it was to experience all the broken fruit that was produced after being a slave to sin. Consider how powerful and pure the fruit of the Spirit is in your life!

David sets a great example for us. He points out the trials around him. He is gut-level honest about the headspace he is in and how he is feeling about the things he is facing. God is okay with our honesty. He can handle our questions and confusion, and he is big enough to face our frustrations or grief.

We are chosen and brought near. While we do not enter the physical courts of the temple, we enter into a spiritual throne room. In this place of worship, we are satisfied with the goodness of his house and the holiness of his temple.

It is much harder to justify our negative or sinful thoughts when we have to consider if it is true, honorable, just, or pure. Notice how Paul does not say to think about things that are just good? In the moment, things seem good. Being judgmental or critical seems good, but is that excellent or praiseworthy?

As we walk with God, he makes us more like him—more holy. Even the holiest of saints can get interrupted at times. Things happen in life that rock our world. Temptations creep up unexpectedly that we have to overcome. We may discover one day that there is yet another layer of the onion being peeled back, and there is more to surrender.

Remember that the point of this is not to have it all figured out. The objective is to get the word rooted in our hearts. Whatever we do, it has the power to more closely align our hearts with the promise of God over our hearts.

Today’s invitation is to meditate on the hope of this message. No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, you can look at a verse like this and hold on to the words, “there is freedom.”