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Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out - in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day.Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good - crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. (Galatians 5:1, 13-25 The Message Version)
When did you become truly free, dear Friend? I grew up in an era when I was pretty much free. Yes, I had rules and understandings of right and wrong decisions. And yes, I did violate those. But during the day I was free to go pretty much all over Kingsville, but I had to come for supper or when called. Mom's voice carried very well! The farthest I ever went was to the edge of the King Ranch, armed with my BB gun and accompanied by my friend Alex. We ran into some javelinas and they chased us up a tree, where we waited until they left and we were able to jump down and run home. Thank God we were not late. But my freedom came when I left for college. And the more I came to love, trust and serve the Lord the more freedom I enjoyed.
Paul's understanding of a free life means that when he came to realization of a life of grace, where our confessed sins are forgiven and taken off as a heavy weight from our spirits. No more living tied to the Law, but tied to the same cross as Jesus; seeking to free others from the bondage and weight of sin and guilt. Our freedom means we can share freely and openly the message of joy that comes from knowing Jesus, and to love one another in the way that Jesus meant. It also means to love people enough to share a message of deliverance from the sure road that leads to an eternal separation from God. Paul quotes Jesus when he writes, "Love others as you love yourself." And he adds, "that's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out - in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?" Our title for today's devotional comes from the next words, "My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness." True Christian love is others-centered, rooted in Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. The result is a thoughtful, two steps ahead of you individual that seeks to glorify the Lord in deeds and words that build up, and fortifies other believers as well as the work of the Kingdom of God. A free person in the Lord, is animated and motivated by God's Holy Spirit. The opposite is what Paul groups together as "repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal tempter; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on." This is not the free way to live our lives, and this modern version of Paul's list may hit close to home for some of us, but we have the powerful option to go with Christ and live the life described above. It is our choice. We should choose Jesus!
PRAYER: Awesome God, may this time of preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July and the freedom of our nation, remind us of. what is truly important when we speak of being free. Free us for faithful and obedient behavior in You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shine the freedom you have found in Jesus!
Eradio Valverde
