Daily Devotional for Thursday, January 30

Our Freedom Does Not Give Us Liberty To Sin

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;' Galatians 5:13,14.

On school nights, our children have a bedtime. The older they get, the later the bedtime has gotten. Their school does not start particularly early, but we still want them to get plenty of sleep to make sure they are the best versions of their teenage selves. During Christmas break or other holidays, we let them have more freedom to go to bed when they are tired. We have found, however, that if we do not give them a time to shut down and go to their rooms to sleep, they will stay up all night long watching movies or playing video games.

Paul spent this entire letter making sure that the Galatians knew that they were to embrace their freedom in Christ, but if we are no longer bound by the Law, does that mean we can do whatever we want in our newfound freedom? He answered this for us as well. Yes, we are supposed to live in the freedom of grace, not under the oppression of rules, but we should not use our freedom for our fleshly desires. Our liberty does not give us permission to continue sinning. We are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are to live in such a way that others know we are children of God. Paul did not tell us that we should be circumcised and observe all of the holy days in order to show others that we are in Christ. Instead he said that it is love that sets us apart. We should use our freedom to serve one another in godly love.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

How can you serve someone today?

Let us humble ourselves and use our freedom in Christ to show love and grace to those around us.

Ashley Ridings