Is it truly freedom?
"For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage."Galatians 5:1
Freedom is a tricky thing. There is a lie attached to cultural freedom that costs us more than we are willing to admit.
I want financial freedom so I work more hours to have more money. Bondage of responsibility and commitment.
I want freedom to purchase more things. More possessions creates bondage of placing value in things above people as we protect our things.
It’s like the person who wants the freedom to travel. They work a lot of hours to purchase a motor home. After they purchase their traveling home they have to build a place to store it to protect from the weather. After they have built the shelter they work to remodel and purchase to buy things to put inside of it. Then they can’t quit their job to travel because their bills are so high from all of the things they purchased. They do not have freedom because of the decisions made to gain their so called freedom.
It is not to say that possessions, desires or goals are a bad thing, just the acknowledgment that attachment to these things has potential to stifle our freedom. I do the same thing in my everyday life. I want the freedom to spend time with my friends so I let my kids stay up late, and then the next morning when they are grumpy I have paid the price of my freedom. I want the freedom to eat dessert and then when the scale leans in a particular way I have paid the price of that freedom.
Many times people look at Christ followers and only see the "rules" we choose to follow without understanding that obedience to God is pursued because we desire to thrive within His design of grace and under His framework of protection.
The world sees: A Christ follower must put God first. A Christ follower should attend church. A Christ follower should be kind to others. A Christ follower should always tell the truth. Others see these choices as bondage, the opposite of freedom. But...
For those who have experienced an abundance of Christ’s grace and love understand that the outline of the Bible allows those who follow it to live with true freedom. By living within the framework of Jesus life modeled, we are granted freedom. When I put someone before myself and choose to give before I receive, I am granted peace.
When I choose to live with my palms open, realizing nothing in my life is truly mine, I have such freedom in my willingness to give.
When I become a part of a church body I have confidence in knowing someone will walk alongside of me, offering me freedom from fear of going it alone.
When I choose humility in daily life, I am offered freedom from a need to fight to be first.
When I choose to find my identity in Christ, I am granted freedom from a need to prove myself to others.
Jesus modeled life offers us so much freedom – true freedom – without strings attached – when we choose to humbly live within its framework.
