Daily Devotional

-May 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Liberty in Christ: To Serve Others In Love, Not To Sin Or Stumble Others-

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again in the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:13).

“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” (Galatians 5:13).

Liberty in Christ is a wonderful blessing. We are set free from the bondage of our sins, from Satan’s control, and the world’s influence on us. We are free to do what we want as long as it is according to God’s will and is for the good of others. Jesus said, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” John 8:31-32; John 8:36).

This is the greatest liberty, the most awesome freedom; with it comes tremendous privilege and responsibility. Each believer must consider his conduct both in the light of Scripture and how it may affect other believers. The last thing we want to do is to use our liberty as a license to sin or to stumble someone else. In the NT, we find the law of liberty, which is also the law of love.

Paul tells us in verse 14, “…through love serve one another.” Doing this may limit our liberty, but love trumps liberty in such cases. In NT times there was the hot topic of whether to eat meat sacrificed to idols. A good example of this today is Christians drinking wine or beer. We have the liberty to do it, but it has a greater likelihood of stumbling a new and or young believer. It is a very controversial subject in the church today, and one with serious repercussions toward the saved and unsaved.

If our goal is to be a blessing and point people to Christ, our testimony is so very important. To edify someone is to build them up; to serve them is help them and encourage them in their walk with Christ. Self and selfishness have no place in the body of Christ. Our ego must be checked at the door.

May the Lord help us to rejoice in our liberty that we have in Christ to serve others and be a blessing. If something is questionable, don’t do it. If something is not clearly mentioned in Scripture, it doesn’t mean that we can go right ahead and do it. We must follow the principles of Scripture and the law of liberty and love in all we do.

Have a blessed day walking in liberty and serving others in love. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean