"All the Saints!"

 "Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you." (Hebrews 13:24 KJV)

  "You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our power is from God, not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 NLT)

 Well, I was going to share more about, "Set at Liberty," but I thought I had said enough about myself, even if it was part of the journey. But that doesn't stop me from sharing about the reason I used that title in the first place. As it was, Paul is talking about Timothy being released from jail, as being, "set at liberty," because he is no longer locked up. But my story was meant to be one that was about me being "set at liberty" even though I was still in jail! 

 Yes, I was incarcerated, but I felt absolutely FREE! That is what I meant about having real true faith; because, as Jesus said, "So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." (John 8:36 NLT) To be perfectly honest, I really prefer the KJV of that verse, which I would use to share with anyone who is tied down, but has been saved: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."  

 Before I was saved, I felt as though I wanted to be set free; as it was, I was told I would be able to just serve on weekends, (which I never really believed would happen,) but instead it looked like I was going to stay for at least eight months. But, once I was saved, on that great and glorious day, I felt absolutely free! It was as if I had something important to do, right where I was; even though I still desired to be home with my wife and son, it pretty much just felt as if I needed to be where I was, as long as the Lord would have me there. 

 The reason I prefer that verse about being set free in the old KJV, is because it uses the word, "make," which is also in the NKJV and several others; but for some reason the NLT version uses "sets," which doesn't really make the point of how we got saved in the first place! 

 Without a doubt, I believe that it was God that made me move; it get up, off of my bunk, and to go down to the cafeteria room, in order to hear that message! I surely wasn't about to do it on my own; but it was the work of God that made me want to hear what was going to be said. Maybe that is not a thing you could believe; but when God calls you, it is not until you allow Him to change you, that you are really chosen...

"Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as it you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian life in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ." (Galatians 3:1-5 NLT)