2 Corinthians 2:14a (NLT) But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession.

If there is one thing that human beings try to avoid at all costs is being held captive by anyone. There have been many prisoners of war who have lost their lives trying to escape from captivity. Captives are usually not treated well on top of losing their freedom. That's why it is so curious that the Apostle Paul would use the language in the verse above to describe those of us that belong to Christ Jesus and he not only states it as a fact, but also thanks God for it! How could it be that Paul feels so good about being a captive?

The secret lies in who is holding you captive and what the conditions of your captivity are. When you are held captive by someone in this world, there is absolutely nothing positive about it. But when it is Jesus holding you captive, He is leading you, with no choice on your part, to a better life full of His blessings. Notice that the Apostle Paul says that we are being led as captives in Christ's triumphal procession. It's like being forced to head into your best life possible here and now, and then even better when you enter eternity. Imagine as a child if your father gathered you up, forced you into the car as a captive, only to drive you to Disney World! Would you consider that captivity? Of course not! As a child, I would have signed up for that right away. But this is life that we are talking about, which is a lot more serious than Disney World. The truth is that we will go through our problems and trials during this blessed captivity. But Jesus, the one who is holding us captive and leading us to victory, is with us every step of the way. The freedom that we lose is the freedom to destroy ourselves. In other words, we no longer live according to our whims and fancies but according to God's will for our lives. It just so happens that God's will for our lives is perfect.

I am so glad that I can be kept from that part of me (my sinful nature) that at one time wreaked so much pain and havoc in my life and in the lives of the people that I love. Thank God that Jesus freed me from the captivity of sin to live in the blessed captivity of His love for me. Yes, my heart is held hostage by His love now, but there is nothing sweeter to my soul than having Jesus as my closest and most intimate friend. To be held captive by Jesus is pure and absolute freedom, and we should never, ever look to be freed from it. If the Son sets free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36) and He frees you by making you His captive. It's the freedom of captivity that we celebrate every day as the children of God!

Pastor Joey Vazquez