SET FREE TO SERVE!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. —Galatians 5:13

             Brothers and sisters, we “were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.”  It is imperative that we listen to our Lord often and regularly to live in this freedom.  Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” and “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31-32, 36). 

             Paul said of the Corinthian Church—

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” —II Corinthians 11:3-4

             So, as fellow followers/disciples of Jesus, we need to be aware of those who would bring us into bondage and of the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11).

“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” —II Corinthians 11:13-15

             Instead of living in bondage and using our freedom to indulge the flesh, we are to “serve one another humbly in love.”  Love for God, Jesus said, is the Greatest Command and the second is like it— love for neighbor.  We can only love our neighbor with godly love if we have a healthy perspective of ourselves and who we are in Christ.  We love God because He first loved us (I John 4:19).  Now when we have that understanding of His love for us, and grow in it, then we can love others as He would have us to.  Again, we need to have a healthy identity in Christ to be able to do so.

             It is interesting, over the years, the church where I am at people come and people go.  They are typically looking for satisfaction in some program that meets their needs.  Years ago now, a dear brother who is happily with our Lord now, I asked, “Many people have come and gone from this local church.  Why are you still here?  He said, “This is where the Lord wants me to serve.”  This dear brother was very active right up to just months before his death at age 92.  His desire was to serve the Lord and that is what he did in a variety of ways and he did “serve one another humbly in love.”  He was a wonderful example of this verse— “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”  And, Dear Father, may also be as well.  May I faithfully serve You according to Your will and not my own whims.  May this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus and for the benefit of many others.  So may it be!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90JuSQd6bE&list=RDR90JuSQd6bE&start_radio=1