Galatians 5:13-15 (NLT)
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”
Jesus has beckoned us into freedom, depositing his Spirit directly into our hearts and minds. I envision this to be something like an invitation by a friend to dare to try something new and adventurous. “Be free! Just take that leap!” But of course, a little freedom can turn into trouble pretty fast. Fun and games, eyes getting poked out and all that… Let’s face it, we are masters at messing things up. We’re born that way, as any mother will tell you approximately 10 minutes after cleaning her entire house which now once again appears to be a pig sty. Messing things up is just what we do.
Grace goes horribly wrong when our freedom starts to harm us. The big blunder? Selfishness. Freedom to live by the Spirit quickly turns into justifications and permission to indulge. A “no rules” system requires our hearts to choose the right things to better ourselves and others.
Here’s your freedom for today: freedom in the Spirit makes it possible to love. In contrast, sin harms you. Period. Just like using chocolate cake as a “reward” when you are trying to work on your physical health, it undermines your real goals. Selfishness turns to self-centeredness which turns to sabotage of ourselves and everyone around us. What are you using freedom to justify today? In what ways is sin destroying your life and the lives of those around you? I challenge you to find ways to love yourself and others today, using your freedom to help you stay truly free.