Free to Do What God Wants || Galatians 5:13 || Manna for the Mind #58

Welcome to Day 58 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series is about taking scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses) and building our understanding of their teachings through their context and connecting scripture. I believe that doing this helps us understand how to be the type of human that God created us to be.

Our focus scripture today is Galatians 5:13. We’ll discuss the profound concept of our freedom from sin through our relationship with Christ. This freedom is not just a release from the consequences of sin, but a liberation from its power over us, enabling us to live in accordance with God’s will.

Galatians 5:13

13          For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Paul distinguishes between the freedom to sin and the freedom to serve. Freedom to sin offers no freedom at all. Freedom to sin is a chained freedom. It continues to make us slaves to the system of trying to do what is best for us worldwide. This isn’t the freedom that Christ called us to live into. Christ died to break the chains that were holding us into sin. Since we received that freedom, we should do the things God wants and do them in ways that glorify him. How do we do that? Serving one another in love.

Understanding the essence of serving one another in love is not just a theoretical concept, but a practical guide for our daily lives. Imagine these scenarios: if you were in the depths of grief, how would you want others to respond? If you were heartbroken, what kind of support would you find most comforting? These questions are not meant to overwhelm, but to empower us to embody the teachings of Galatians 5:13. When we use our freedom to indulge in sinful actions, we shift the focus from serving others to serving ourselves. But when we choose to serve one another in love, we are living out the freedom that Christ has given us.

1 Peter 2:16

16          For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

We have freedom in Christ, but the apostles defined freedom differently than we do. Christians use freedom as a tool to serve in every way possible. Our freedom found in Christ is the foundation for building our Christian journey. Because God frees us from the religious rules and the eternal guilt, we should go after indulging in our own desires, such as greed, lust, or pride. We should be striving to reach the best God has for us. Let the freedom God has gifted us showcase his love, joy, and power through the love and service we can provide to others.

There’s not much more to the message here: You are free from the bondage of sin. Don’t use your freedom to sin against him, but glorify him.

Father God, thank you for releasing humanity from the chains of sin. They have held humanity captive for far too long. Let us use our freedom to glorify and honor you. Let us use our freedom to bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.