John 8:34-36 (NIV)
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
“We all know that this ‘doing whatever I want’ kind of freedom can have unintended negative consequences. When we take something good, use it improperly, and it spirals out of control to become a bad thing…that’s like the Biblical definition of sin…But imagine a freedom, where I get to do whatever I truly want… and everything I desire is not only good for me, but it’s good and beneficial for everyone around me. That’s the freedom Jesus is giving us. Augustine said, ‘Love, and do what you will.’ When we truly love God, whatever we do will be loving, good and beneficial not only for ourselves, but for those around us. ‘Love, and do what you will’ because everything God’s love does is good and beneficial for everyone.” [P. Jason Park]
Freedom is not about rights, but it’s about love. We have been set free to obey God and serve others in selfless love. There is no greater freedom than to be who God has called us to be.
Prayer: Father, help me to freely love, freely give, freely lay my life down to serve others. Fill me with your Spirit once again. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s worship to “Holding Nothing Back” by Jesus Culture (click here)
-DP
