Freedom to serve in love

If Jesus has set you free, what are you set free to do?

Please read Galatians 5:13 – 24 first. May God bless you and strengthen your faith today. Amen.

A church member once suggested that I should preach on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians because it “would really get ‘em!” I got the impression from the tone of his voice that the people would be sorely convicted to the point of remorse by that sermon, which he seemed to find entertaining. Granted, sometimes sermons that are written to produce spiritual conviction are needed, but only occasionally. Too much guilt drives people to despair.

The point Paul is making is to encourage hearers and readers to “live in freedom… to serve one another in love,” as in “Love your neighbor as yourself” (NLT).

Faith in Jesus sets us free (“If the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed” – John 8:36) from sin. Sin is what drags us down and separates us from God. Freedom from sin lifts us up out of sin’s filth, remakes us in the image of God, and reunites us to our Father in heaven.

That makes us free to do good works, have the love and joy of heaven, and to follow Christ by the Holy Spirit. We are free to serve others in love – real love – not that lust and greed driven love of the world. The love Paul wrote about leads to glory. What the world because love leads to eternal shame.

Be free to serve in the love of God. Amen.