Called to Liberty

Scripture:

Galatians 5:13 "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another".

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Galatians, who had been falling back into a "works based" faith in God. He is letting them know that the Law brought death, but the Spirit brings life. He brings balance to things when he says, "you have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another". He says that really following Jesus is more about serving one another through love than following the letter of the Law.

Application:

Most of us are pre-wired into a works based salvation. It seems that the better we do at following all the Law, the more God will love us. God loves us because He chooses to love us. We are called to freedom, but we don't use that as an excuse to live however we want. When we will by the Spirit, He will lead us to live excellent lives in which we love God and love our neighbors. We will live more and more like Christ did when He was on this earth. Our goal should not be to follow every Law in the bible, rather, it should be to be like more and more like Jesus, which fulfills the Law.

Prayer:

Father, I want to be more and more like Jesus. I want to partner with the Holy Spirit to produce the results You want in my life. I want to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Help me to do things Your way and not my own.

Sincerely,
Jeff