Freedom

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.  - Paul's letter to the new believers in the Roman province of Galatia

In light of current events and given the recent celebration of our nation's independence, I began to think about what it means to truly be free.  The truth of the matter is, I think we're all still in search of freedom, believer or non-believer, regardless of our racial, cultural, or social backgrounds.  But freedom from what?  In my opinion, we're in most desperate need of freedom from ourselves.  Paul explains why in his letter to the Galatians (chapter 5):

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.  Thats an act of true freedom.  If you bit and ravage each other, watch out- in not 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?

Imagine that.  Freedom can be destroyed.  Freedom can grow, through love.  And the only way to gain freedom, is by giving up our perceived freedom to self-govern our lives, and submitting to God's spirit.  So radical, I wonder if it works...

SDW3