Free to Love

“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”  Galatians 5:13

This verse caught my attention a little while ago. It caused me to pause and ask these questions, “What does it mean to be ‘free’? And how does being ‘free’ make me a better person?” Here are a few thoughts that have been rattling around in my head.
The definition of the word “free” is “not under the control or in the power of another.” Before I became a Christ follower I was a slave to sin (Romans 6:17). As a slave to sin I did whatever sin tempted me to do. I did not always like where it lead me or the result of my actions, but I was under the control of sin. When I accepted what Jesus did on the cross on my behalf (He paid the price for my sin), the bondage and power of sin were broken and Jesus set me “free.” I am no longer under sin’s control. John said it like this, “If the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” God removes the strength of sin and allows me to be the person He created me to be. That person is created in the very “image of God”(Genesis 1:27). This means I become a loving, forgiving, caring person who is aware of the needs and concerns of others, giving me the ability to experience and share the love of God with those I am in contact with each day.
I am so glad that I have been set “free.” How about you, are you free?

-Pastor Tim