Monday, July 19, 2021
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
What Will You Choose?
Eleanor Roosevelt once said Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect. These words are true for Christians as well. We have been set free with the freedom Christ gave us but, we have a responsibility to make the right choice. For the Christian that is unwilling to accept the responsibility that goes with the freedom, it should be a frightening prospect.
I am free to do whatever I please ... and responsible for whatever it is I choose. God's desire and design is that I use it to live and act in Christ. Sometimes making the choice to live and act in Christ is not always the choice that will gain popularity or friends. It usually doesn't make a very neat and pretty social media post. But if your “friends” are not your friends if you choose not to do something because of your Christian values, then they are not really your “friends," are they?
In this world, everything to which we may become attached requires that we sacrifice our freedom. That's certainly true of government, which taxes our paychecks, and passes laws that circumscribe our very comings and goings. That's certainly true of family...in fact taking on the responsibilities of a family requires perhaps a larger sacrifice of one’s freedom than almost anything I know. Not to mention the freedoms that we sacrifice to much lesser things, like houses and cars and furniture, and all those possessions that end up taking possession of us. The numbers of people enslaved to debt, alcohol, drugs, work, power, pornography, fame, electronics, shopping, and endless other addictions show the power of poor use of our freedom. Commitments - good or bad - take some freedom away.
We are free to choose, but our choices have long-term consequences. Think about all the things you are attached to and ask yourself these questions. Be honest with yourself.
- Do they glorify God?
- Are they worth the sacrifice?
- Are they worth the time?
- Are they worth the part of you that you are giving away.
- What are the consequences you might have to live with for a long time?
We can even be in bondage to religion and never experience the freedom Christ came to give. This was Paul's message over and over. Of all the freedoms that we lose because we can’t handle the responsibility of freedom, this is the most tragic. When a believer chooses to follow Christ, it is not to be bound, but free. The great paradox of the Christian faith is the freedom we find in service to Him. For Jesus makes it clear that He came to set men free. Freedom in Christ comes by only having one Lord and not being consumed with multiple lords.
Service to Christ = True Freedom
Being responsible usually means doing the hard things, and doing things we don’t want to do. It will not be our first choice a lot of times. But every commitment we have made limits the next decision we will make in our lives. Every choice has consequences, though, and sometimes in making one choice, one decision, you find that you are now limited in what choices you are free to make next.
God loves us and does not want His children to suffer. He wants us to choose Him, and actions and words that are glorifying to Him. We are free to choose, but choosing the wrong things will only lead to a lot of consequences we have to live with. We will choose and choose and choose, because nothing we choose besides God will ever bring us satisfaction, joy, fulfillment or peace.
