Don’t Head Back to Prison
Galatians 5:13 My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love.
I’m fairly certain that just a single night locked up in prison would be more than enough to cure me of any future criminal intent that might be lurking in my heart. How about you? Which is why I find recidivism – those criminals who repeatedly reoffend – so completely incomprehensible.
American gangster Al Capone rose to prominence in the 1920’s during the Prohibition era as the leader of the ‘Chicago Outfit’ which ran organised crime operations in bootlegging, gambling and prostitution. He was a clever crook but the authorities finally nailed him on, of all things, tax evasion for which he was sentenced to 11 years in Federal Prison, including a stint in the infamous Alcatraz.
He was eventually released after just seven and a half years, his health having deteriorated markedly due to syphilis. Despite his release, he continued his criminal lifestyle, eventually dying as a much-diminished man in 1947 at the age of just 48.
Despite attaining wealth and power, albeit ill-gotten, Capone’s repeated criminal lifestyle – recidivism – eventually killed him.
Galatians 5:13 My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love.
Jesus served your sentence for you by dying on that Cross to pay for your sin. He did it to set you free from all the sinful intent lurking in your heart. Are you really going to squander your hard-won freedom by re-offending? Remember, recidivism kills.
Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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