Galatians 5:13
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
This was an unexpected blessing of being in Christ, freedom. I was raised in a denomination that was quite legalistic which put great value on sacrifice. So, this was embedded quite deep. It was like weeds all throughout the yard that was the stubborn type that was rooted deep.
I can recall hearing messages on grace. It was like the sun rose on my faith. Freedom was the result. The guilt would subside in the sun light. However, the deeply rooted legalism came back. Never as strong as before. More grace messages came, along with more freedom.
I probably still have some tendencies, but the understanding of grace is strong. Most days are lived in grace and freedom. It makes the days sunny.
I would never have guessed such freedom. Those in the world wouldn't either. That's a big reason why they stay away. They fear the Lord will take things away. Some things will go, but it's the bad things. There is so much freedom in the good.
This freedom is who God is. He wants us to be blessed and enjoy things. That's why He made this great world. There's creation and all it's beauty to be enjoyed. There are hobbies, friends, interests, music, good books and so on. He delights in our delights. Pastor John Piper says it this way, "God is most glorified when we are the most satisfied in Him." There is no guilt or compulsion in this.
James 1:7 says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." God is a giver and He will fill our lives with gifts. There are no strings attached. The end of the verse says "no variation or shifting shadow". There are no tricks or bait and switch. God is good and He gives good gifts.
This is great news. I keep coming back to the Narnia spring. This is where Aslan rose from the dead and beat winter. The ice would thaw replaced by green. It raced a crossed the land. So, His grace and freedom race across our hearts.
When Christ enters someone's heart, He isn't content to stay in the living room. In time, He knocks on the doors of all rooms. We reluctantly surrender. Unbeknownst to us, joy, blessing and healing accompany Him. This process is never is done until heaven.
Some of those rooms have great hurts and infection. He gently prods us to open those doors. He speaks through our thoughts, guilt, another's comment or scripture. We eventually open that door. In come His fresh air and sunlight. The mold and stuffiness evaporate in His love.
Freedom implies there was slavery. We were enslaved in thoughts and habits. There are many levels to this. Some are hopeless addicts, others have compulsions which drive them to actions in an anxious circle and so on. Others are stuck and are depressed by this slavery. But God is our chain breaker.
Even when there are break throughs, those enslaved aren't free. Proverbs 26:11 says, "Like a dog that returns to its vomit, So is a fool who repeats his foolishness." This is the sad part of slavery. The chains are invisible, but real. It could be thoughts or compulsions. It's very difficult to break free. But that's God's business. The longer we are in Christ, the freer we are. There is a continual shedding of the bad.
Sometimes the freedom is instantaneous, other times it's a lifelong process. It's different for all of us. The ones that are difficult to shake keep us dependent on Him. Like Jesus said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you". At times our desperation drives us to cling to Him.
Lord, thank You for calling us into this freedom. Just as a convict is paroled, so You've set us free. Thank You for this freedom as well as the things we struggle with that keep us close to You.