“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)
It’s in Paul’s letter to the
Corinthians that he says that although all things are in fact permissible, not
all things are constructive or beneficial for us (1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23). Here we see the same principle being applied
to the believers in Galatia. Our
salvation does in fact make us free from the law of sin and death; however, to
utilize this freedom as a means of indulging ourselves in worldly pursuits and fleshly
desires is simply wrong. The problem
lies in a basic misunderstanding of scripture.
Doing what is seen as wrong in the eyes of God is never all right. That doesn’t make God’s standards restrictive;
it makes them protective. There is a specific reason why it’s imperative that
believers determine in their hearts to stay close to the Lord. It’s for our ultimate good. God loves us and keeps no good thing from us;
however, our ability to determine what is good for us can be somewhat tainted
at times. Our emotions get in the way
and we allow outside forces to dictate what we want vs. what we need. We are called to serve one another humbly in
love, not to be self-serving. If we
trust God to provide for and sustain us in this life, and we should, then that
should free us up to serve others. God
is watching over us. Our walk with the
Lord isn’t to be a peripheral one with us dancing on the fringe. Our walk should be an intimate relationship
that grows based on the time spent with God.
We cannot truly know Him if we do not spend time with Him. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
