Walk with Me

SCRIPTURE:  2 Corinthians 3:12-18         Read the passage

BIO:  My name is Kathy Ikonomidis. I’m the receptionist at FPCO. I also assist in the Evangelism department. You may have guessed by my last name, I am Greek -100%. I enjoy writing, baking, and spending time with people. I have a passion for those who are hurting. I never want anyone to slip through the cracks. Because of my own journey, God’s given me a great desire to see others find grace, love, and freedom.

KEY VERSE:  2 Corinthians 3:17  “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

CENTRAL TRUTH:  Bondage to the law leads to death. The law is merely an arrow pointing to the Lord—the only One Who can give life and freedom.

DEVOTIONAL:  Freedom

This passage is obscure. Scholars quibble over the veil and its meaning. Paul states that the veil remains for those who have not turned to the Lord. He, of all people, knew what it was like to be spiritually blind. The veil debate aside, it is clear that Christ died to set us free.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

What exactly is that freedom? Not merely freedom from the power of sin or freedom from condemnation, it is also freedom to love and serve. There is freedom to stop pretending and to be who God created you to be.

Freedom is not something we take lightly. We fight wars in the name of freedom. A vast difference lies between a religion of freedom through the Spirit and a religion of bondage to the law. I, like so many others, have spent most of my life in bondage. I’ve been bound to the guilt, shame, and condemnation of my sins. I have been the Pharisee of Pharisees, adhering to the letter of the law as if my life depended upon it. What kind of life is that? In John 10:10, Christ states, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Legalism focuses on me trying to impress God, showing Him how good I am, as opposed to grace which shows how good He is.

Recently, I was chosen to serve as foreman of a criminal case. The verdict: “Not guilty.” Watching the judge pardon the accused and send her away in freedom gave me chills. What a sight to behold. That is what God does for us. Because of the blood of Christ we are free. The veil no longer stands in our way.

“Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me” (“Before the Throne”).

Free. We are truly free!

QUESTION 1:  Has there been a point in your life where the veil was removed and you were reconciled with Christ?

QUESTION 2:  Are there areas in your life where you still feel bound?

QUESTION 3:  How will you live in freedom today?