Sunday 27th March 2016
Daily Reading: Galatians 5 - Freedom
It's Sunday! Today we celebrate. Today is the day that sin was conquered and sin was defeated. Have a read of Luke 24:1-6! Jesus is alive, and through faith in Him, we can come with boldness to the throne of God! What a glorious day! Just that thought... God has made a way, through His son Jesus, for us to come back into relationship with him, where we can come before Him and approach with boldness the eternal throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).
Yesterday we had a look at Romans 8 and saw that through faith in Jesus we are adopted as sons into the family of God. We are taken from being a slave, and made a son of the living King. Today, let’s take a look at Galatians 5, and in particular the first verse: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Through Jesus, and his death and resurrection, we are set FREE! When we put on faith in Jesus, He takes away the sin that entangles, that weighs us down, that destroys. He releases us from the chains that are keeping us in bondage. As we often sing on a Sunday, "My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, My Saviour has ransomed me."
So we have been set free, and so I guess that means we can now go and do whatever we want?! As Paul said to the Roman, 'By no means!'. Let's have a look at a few verses in the Word. "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God." (1 Peter 2:16). "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Gal 5:13). "And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:18). So we have been set free, but by no means does this now mean that we are just free to do as we please. Look at some of the things that are mentioned in these few verses: 'live as servants of God'; 'through love serve one another'; 'righteousness'.
The way a servant pleases his master is to find out and know what pleases him, and then do it. Let me encourage you: find out what pleases the Lord... then do it.