Freedom!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:16-17

This week we celebrate the freedom we have in the United States, freedom to worship God and to make many choices about how we live. Let’s think about what God says about how to use our freedom in a way that honors him.

Monday: God has set us free and he calls us to live in freedom.  Think about what you have been freed from and what it means to be free. Thank God for what he has done for you!

Tuesday: We choose how to use our freedom. Examine your actions to see whether they spring from self serving or from love for others. Ask God to free you more fully from sin so you can truly love.

Wednesday: It’s easy to slip into using liberty as license to sin. Real freedom is found and safeguarded only in living for God, who wants us to be truly free. Ask God to give you a heart devoted wholly to him.

Thursday: Being free of pride enables us to respect others as bearers of God’s image. Pray for the ability to genuinely honor others, no matter who they are.

Friday: Pray for understanding to better grasp how loving others fulfills the law of God. Pray also for the ability to love other people deeply and freely.

Saturday: Fear of God puts everything in perspective and frees of from fear of man and from bondage to sin. Quiet yourself before God, meditate on who he is, and honor him as Lord of all.