“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14……………………
Why does God set us free through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Why does He bestow upon us blessed liberty? Why does He gives us freedom through Christ? Is it so we can lay our heads back on our recliner chairs, kick up our feet on our ottomans, and rest, relax, and rejoice in ease and luxury and self-pleasure for the rest of our lives? By no means! God sets us free so we can receive and experience and enjoy His fellowship and love, love Him in return with all our hearts and serve Him to no end, and love and serve others in His name for His glory. The scriptures above make clear He does not give us liberty so we can live for self, but so we can in His love serve others. Not only are we given the privilege and honor of serving others in Christ’s love, but we are to be the recipients of Christ’s love in how others in His name serve us. We are to be His servants, and servants of one another. We are to live in sweet liberty, love, and service all in the name of and for the glory of the Lord! Should we not be thankful that He has entrusted us with the calling to serve Him and others, and that He has blessed us with also being the recipients of the loving service of others? Yes indeed! God through His gift of liberty through Christ has called us to lives of love and service, and how sweet and blessed it is to be both givers and receivers of the love and service that is borne of liberty in Christ Jesus. Live in freedom, my friend, and serve in love, my friend, and be thankful for it all, be thankful to the Lord!