October 1, 2025 Devo

A friend of ours worked for a number of years in a foreign country with an organization that helps women get out of the human trafficking industry. They take them in. They teach them skills that can help them get jobs. They teach them many of the social skills that they didn’t learn growing up. They teach them how to be good mothers. They also teach them about Jesus.
In the course of all of this, these women make some incredible discoveries. They are LOVED. They have VALUE. Their lives can have MEANING and PURPOSE. They are no longer commodities to be used, traded, or sold. Their old lives, which were on a dead-end trail to a short and unpleasant existence, have been exchanged for one filled with friends, community, security, hope, and promise. Their new lives are not altogether easy, but they are infinitely BETTER. There will still be many challenges and struggles in the years ahead. But they will be armed with a newfound power. And they will not be ALONE. Can you imagine how grateful these women will be one day, looking back upon the opportunity they were given? I’ll bet many of you can. Because their story is OUR story.
The psalmist reminds us that when we came to Christ, we did more than just make a “decision” for Jesus. We were rescued. We were redeemed. We were SAVED. Our lives were on a dead-end road lined with agony, guilt, and loneliness. We were without hope, purpose, or a sense of direction. When we came to Christ, we found love, compassion, and value. We discovered we had a FAMILY. We discovered our IDENTITY. We let go of a life that was actually a slow, painful death, and we embraced the New Life that only Jesus can offer.
On our journey, He is teaching us many things. How to live. How to love. How to invest ourselves in things that have eternal value. And in return, He fills our lives with Good Things. If you’re like me, there’s hardly a day that goes by that you’re not overwhelmed with gratitude for what God has saved you FROM…and what He has brought you TO! The road is not always easy, but it is so much BETTER. We have power. We have hope. We have a Presence. And we are never alone.
Take a moment today to remember who you used to be. Then take another to thank Him for who He has helped you become. If you are one of those who still find yourself in bondage and on a path you know is leading to death, cry out to Him. He will take you in. He will clean you up. He will make you new. He will set you free. Whoever you are, wherever you are, you are loved and valuable and precious to God. Your Redeemer has come just for YOU! That’s God’s Word for you today.