June 27, 2019
For full passage click: Galatians 5: 1, 13-15 …“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.” vs. 13
Freedom was huge for Paul. He believed with all his heart that, in Christ, the Galatians had been set free and he couldn’t understand how they could be seduced by charlatan preachers and submit once again to the slavery of the law. They had been called to freedom, but should not see their freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence. It’s this tendency that has continued to be a challenge for the people of God. Again and again, followers of Jesus have abused the gift of freedom by doing whatever they please with no restrictions. Some have abandoned every vestige of morality under the guise of living freely. Nothing could be further from Christ-like living. We should know that the guiding principle of life in Christ is love, the love that God has for us and the love we are called to show for others. Paul says that, in Christ, having been set free from the slavery of the “shoulds” we are to freely become love-slaves to one another. That’s what true love does, it binds us to our neighbor with cords that cannot be broken. This is the love we see in the cross of Jesus. It’s a self-giving love that could even mean dying for the other. What a blessing it is to be a part of such a loving faith-community! It’s the true family of God, a bulwark of stability and caring in our often cut-throat world.
Thought for the Day: What do love-slaves do for one another?
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