SCRIPTURE: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 ESV
THOUGHT: I’m grateful for freedom in Christ. It’s not a small thing, but it does involve a lot of small, daily choices. Disciplines I can choose to treat lightly or disregard entirely to my own peril. On some level, even my small choices lead toward freedom or captivity.
Even when we can’t change circumstances on the outside, nothing and no one can take away our freedom to think, to remember, to choose what we believe, and to feel love, gratitude, hope, or peace. Jesus once said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).” We aren’t just a little free, we are free indeed.
Of course there are emotions like anger, jealously, and hatred, and the thinking, beliefs, and ultimately actions that come with those when we offer them space in our soul. Strangely, these negative emotions and actions don’t like to stay small; they grow and grow from the little place we allowed until they spill over and spill out. But the freedom to choose – an incredible gift from God – flows in and offers us a path out if we will but walk it. God challenges Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it (Genesis 4:6-7).”
For most of us, there will be a lot of choices to “do well” or “not do well” ahead over the holiday weekend. Stand firm in the freedom God has given you to choose his paths, to choose gratitude, to choose life. It is for freedom, after all, that Christ has set you free. The payoff, among other things, is a healthy, whole, clean, close relationship with God.
PRAYER: Oh God, the yokes of slavery are everywhere seeking humans to strap in. Help us love our freedom in Christ so much that other choices are immediately seen for what they are. And may the freedom you have given us inspire us to seek freedom for others.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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