2 CORINTHIANS 2:13-14

 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

TO PONDER 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lead a procession? I must admit, I’ve never really thought about it, probably because I’ll never have the opportunity to experience it.  

What about closely watching a band leader/conductor at the front of a marching band? They have a terribly important job to do in making sure every band member is watching them, so the musicians stay in time and in formation. This is something I do enjoy. In fact, when two US College NFL teams came to Sydney the other year to play the opening round of their football season, I went along to see the marching bands almost as much as the game.    

Our text mentions us as leading a procession as captives. So, it is not heading up a parade as prisoners, or being in front of a march as inmates. But it is being a captive to Christ. It is about triumph in Christ. It is about our victory, via Jesus and his victory, over sin, death and devil. 

When we became a child of God at our baptism, we became ‘captive’ to God. God captured us - for himself. As ‘prisoners’ of God, then, our response is to share with the world, what this means to us. 

You may never have thought of yourself as a captive of Christ, as we often mention the freedom we have in Christ. But as a captive of Christ, we are eternally linked to him, so in a way, we are prisoners (in a good way) as well as being free! Unlike a real prisoner, there are no ‘must dos’, or ‘should’ with Christ. That’s the freedom we have, as captives!  

We are then free to share and serve.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank you for the victory you won for us on the cross. Thank you that we are free to follow, and share, and give, and serve. As captives in your procession, give us the boldness to live our lives confidently as a child of God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen 

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping