When we see pictures of people expressing freedom, they are often of upturned faces and outstretched arms. Think about that.
When we are enslaved,
our arms stay down,
our faces remain downcast.
We are in protection mode.
God’s chosen were given His list of regulations, the Law, to live by and like so many God-given things, man messed it up. They debated and argued about what God REALLY meant by rest on the sabbath. (Sound anything like what the serpent said?)
For example, there were edicts set down that delineated what “rest” actually meant and those who wanted to worship at the Temple had to do those things by the letter, ever fearful they would be found out if they did otherwise.
Jesus set us free from all those legalistic rules, those manmade mandates that prevent joyous life in God’s presence.
Given this freedom, though, doesn’t mean we ignore the Law and run rampantly through life.
Jesus did not set us free from obeying God’s law. No, we still get to obey that. But rather than being obedient to the heartbreaking eccentricities of man’s version of the Law, we get to enter into a close relationship with the Law Giver. We get to experience His heart that gave us the Law to protect us and reveal us to ourselves.
Paul wrote these words to the believers at Galatia, knowing that sometimes when people hear the word “free,” they think it means “do whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want.” Don’t we do the same?
Our freedom is not FROM God. It is TO God.
It is not FROM the Word, it is TO the Word.
We are now free to ignore all the ifs, ands, and buts of legalistic humans in order to pay close attention to the Spirit of God in us who guides us into all Truth, teaching, correcting, and rebuking us as we live with and for God.
You have freedom! Use it well.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
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