April 25, 2022 FREE TO SERVE
Galatians 5:13-16 “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. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
There is an ongoing battle in us; the opposing forces are the flesh and the Spirit. The alarming thing is that we may not even be conscience of the battle taking place in us; if we are to win the battle, we must know what the battle is all about. Paul is warning us that it is possible for us to misunderstand the freedom we have in Christ. The major truth we must understand if we are to win the battle is that we are not free to do the things we please. The love we are to have for one another is to supersede our personal desires; this kind of love is the love of God-not human love. God has poured out His love into our hearts, enabling us to be expressions of the love of God. Romans 5:5. Jesus demonstrated the unselfish love of God when He gave His life for us. All too often we hear of family conflicts, disagreements, dissention, and the breakup of relationships; and at the heart of this is selfish desires. The freedom we have as believers is awesome; we are free to live as God designed us and in a way that is pleasing to Him. To live with self on the throne of our life is to live unfulfilled, and it leads death and destruction. A good example of the ways of God being unlike the ways of man is this; the world tells us to do whatever pleases us; yet, God tells us that we are most blessed and fulfilled when we have the mindset of blessing and serving others. Real love causes one to lay his life down. The critical point to understand is that this love we are talking about is a super-natural love that God has placed within us through the Holy Spirit; when we are led by the Spirit, we love as God loves. The crux of the battle revolves around one point; as believers, we can walk according to our flesh (the selfish part of us) or according to the Spirit-THAT IS THE BATTLE AND THAT IS THE CHOICE WE MUST MAKE. We can live in such a way that all we do flows out of the love that God has deposited in us. Living with a mindset of serving, does not mean that I never do some things I enjoy doing-but whatever I do must be done under the banner of the love of God; it does mean that I must first and foremost be concerned for the well-being of those around me and that I must be a servant at heart. When we walk by the Spirit, we have a new ‘want to-‘ we want to do the things that are pleasing to the Lord. Paul says that when we love our neighbor as our self, we are fulfilling the law of God. Let us not forget to be expressions of these truths in our homes-amongst those who know us best.
Galatians 5:24-26 “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
Romans 12:9-10 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”
Blessings, Buddy
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