Today’s Scripture: Galatians 5:1, NLT- “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”
How do we make sure we stay in the freedom of Christ? To stay free we must look to His Spirit. Just yesterday morning I found myself attempting to perform a balancing act with the Old and New Covenants. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:6 that “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Jesus told us in Mathew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (NKJV) Jesus’s death and resurrection were the perfect sacrifice that marked the end of the Old Testament’s sacrificial system.
Jesus’s sacrifice initiated the New Covenant, where believers are no longer judged by the letter of the Law but by the Spirit of Christ. Romans 8:1-2 promises that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (NIV)
In Mark 12:30-31 we are given what many consider to be the Laws of Christ. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (NKJV)
Romans 8:4 instructs us that “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (ESV) Living according to the Spirit is how we stay free and in the laws of Christ. Romans 8:6 makes it clear that “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (NIV)
Our flesh may scream and yearn for freedom yet the only way to find true freedom is to turn to Christ and the Holy Spirit of our God. In the heat of the moment we may not feel the need to repent but that is exactly what we must do. “Teshuva” was the original Hebrew word for repentance, Google AI confirms that “Teshuvah is not just about feeling sorry or regretting one’s actions; it’s a deeper spiritual and moral transformation, including turning away from sin and turning towards God.”
We can physically, mentally, and spiritually turn towards God. We can ask for the Holy Spirit to take over our mind and emotions to produce the fruits of the Spirit and stop the fruits that are sprouting from our flesh.
In Christ and His Spirit we are transformed and set free. When I recognize that my peace is being stolen, I have found that I must turn and walk away. When I turn and walk towards God and seek His Spirit, this is where I find freedom.
We best serve others by staying free. In your experience, what have you found that helps you turn to the life and peace of the Spirit and away from the slavery of our flesh?
Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the love of Jesus. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that sets us free. Remind us LORD to turn to You in the moments that our flesh attempts to enslave us. I am free to love in Your Holy Spirit and I am asking now that You help me stay free. In the love and Spirit of Jesus Christ we do pray. Amen.
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