Use Your Freedom to Serve

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. Galatians 5:13-16 

God is love.

But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8

He didn’t just give us this command to love our neighbor as yourselves in the New Testament. This came from God to mankind a long way back…all the way back to Moses and the Israelites.

The LORD also said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. …Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:1-2, 18

God expects us to follow His directions…to be holy and to live by His commands. God is telling us in this passage from Galatians that we need to serve one another in love. To care for others the way that God Himself would care for those around us—our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors…and those whose paths cross ours in places like our favorite restaurant, the grocery store, gas station, doctor’s office or library. Serve others. To serve others transliterated in the Greek as douleuo, meaning to be in bondage, to serve or do service. Also, it is used as…to yield obedience. Who better to be obedient to than to God? That is my goal in life…to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength…and to obediently do what He says…summed up in love my neighbor as myself. That seems so simple…but I find it challenging since I often want to do things my way when I want to. But I hear God saying…“It’s My way or the highway, Sweetie!” Actually, He tells me to treat everyone like they are Jesus. Would I ignore Jesus like I’ve ignored my new neighbors? Of course not! I’ve no excuse. But as I tell my husband…Tomorrow is always a good day. It’s another day to do things I need to do for others—not for myself. Some other day will be my day…to do things my way. How about you? Are you doing things your way to please yourself, or God’s way to please Him?

Prayer ~ Lord God, You have called us to live in freedom, serving one another in love. Help me…help us…to love our neighbor as ourselves. May the Holy Spirit guide our lives…our very thoughts, words and actions that we would live lives pleasing and honoring You.

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-4

© 2017 Test and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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