Session 5

The Key to Freedom

From Prepare the Way

Have you ever heard the old story of the monkey and the jar? A monkey reaches into a jar to grab a treat he desires, but because he refuses to let go, he can’t get the treat out of the jar – and he can’t get his fist out, either. If he was willing to let go of the treat, he’d be free. But as long as he clenches his fist, he’s trapped.

Have you ever held onto something so tightly you felt trapped by it? Did your fear of losing it keep you from enjoying it? While it’s scary to release our grip on things that matter to us, grasping for control or grasping out of fear never really helps us win. It only keeps us bound.

Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Notice the word “again.” Before you knew Christ, you were a slave to sin. That was your reality. But now, you are free! In Christ, you have freedom from anything that attempts to enslave you. 

A fear of the future doesn’t have to control you. Grasping for control of your reputation doesn’t have to define you. Holding your finances so tightly you forsake generosity doesn’t have to be your story.

You were freed for freedom. 

Six days before the Passover, Mary, Jesus’ disciple, spent over a year’s wages on a jar of perfume. She extravagantly poured the expensive oil on Jesus’ feet, anointing Him as a sign of His worthiness and her devotion. Rather than holding onto the oil for herself, she “wasted” it on Him. Her wasteful extravagance was an act of worship, and Jesus honored that worship.

Just like Mary, God is calling you to loosen your grip as an act of worship. He is sovereign over everything you could possibly grasp. Your loosened grip will set you free.

When God gave NewSpring three goals for Vision 2030, we knew that we’d have to release control and trust His way. We couldn’t give generously in the way we wanted to until we got out from under the weight of debt — and today, we are debt-free, powered by God’s faithfulness and generosity of many. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

As part of Vision 2030, God told us to find permanent homes for all 13 campuses and to plant 10 churches around the world. We still have a lot of work to do — and that work can only be powered by trust, generosity, and obedience.

What will we do with what God has given us?

REFLECT: 

• Is there an area in your life you’ve been desperate to have control over?
  

• What would it look like to loosen your grip on that thing by giving generously?
  

• Spend time in prayer. Tell God that you trust Him — and be honest about the places you’re struggling to trust fully. Ask Him to remind you that He is your provider and source.