27 Aug, 2010
"Freedom for the Prisoners"
NKorea releases American imprisoned since January
SEOUL, South Korea – A smile flickered across Aijalon Gomes' face as he hugged former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and boarded a plane for Boston on Friday, seven months after his arrest in North Korea.
Carter flew to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, this week on a private mission to secure a pardon for the 31-year-old American.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il granted Carter's request to "leniently forgive" Gomes, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, and Carter and Gomes were due back in Boston later Friday for a reunion with his mother, Carter's spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said in Atlanta. Read More >>
Story and Image found at http://news.yahoo.com.
17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to [Jesus] him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
What do you think of when you hear the word prisoner? Or maybe I should ask, Who do you think of when you hear the word prisoner? For many of us, our thoughts most likely to those who have committed a violent offense and been sentenced to prison. Read the full story and you will find that Aijalon Gomes was arrested for trespassing in North Korea in April and sentenced to eight years of hard labor and fined 70 million won — more than $600,000 — for sneaking into the country illegally and committing a "hostile act." So what did it take for him to be set free? It took former President Jimmy Carter to negotiate his pardon and release.
In today's God's Story scripture, Jesus was proclaiming himself as the one who would had come to set prisoners free. Free from what? Free from being held captive to the sinful nature. Free from the law of sin and death. Free! So how does it feel to be FREE?
- Find some time this weekend to write down the areas of your life where Jesus has set you free.
- Write a Thank You Letter to Jesus for coming to set you free.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to others?
Do you have a friend who is held captive by one of the same sins that held you captive?
Share your story with them and how Jesus has set you free. Now you have the opportunity to be the one who proclaims freedom for the prisoners.
- May 2012 [14]
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