Decorating and a mess 🎄 Live in freedom

1 Peter 2: 16

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

There is freedom from sin available to anyone who in humility and recognizing their brokenness cries out to God for help.

God’s heart is for freedom. Jesus came, He died, and He rose again that we might no longer be entangled to the burdens of this world but set free.

In Isaiah 61:1 it tells us of Jesus’ purpose on earth:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”

Through Christ’s sacrifice in living and dying for us, we have been set free.

And as believers committed to Him, we are to continually yield our lives to Him on a daily basis.

As we’re told in Romans 6:7, “For one who has died has been set free from sin…

And Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

You see, as God’s servants we are to live in freedom, but we must never use our freedom as a cover-up for evil.

Now, in case you think our submission imposes on our freedom. We Christians, possess a freedom that non-believers cannot enjoy.

If we are in Christ, then we are free from the curse that the Law brings to the disobedient (Gal. 3:13), and we are free from the power of sin over our lives (Rom. 6:22).

Because of this we can see that the freedom we enjoy is not a freedom to do whatever we want…

We must never use our freedom as an excuse to do as we please.  

Our freedom is a freedom to serve.

And by doing so we experience continual freedom as we submit our lives to the purposes, presence, and plans of our heavenly Father.

In Barnes's Commentary we’re told (in part): That the word “evil” [in today’s verse (v16)] refers to enmity of heart, ill-will, an intention to injure. It’s referenced to an abuse of freedom that has occurred. That the freedom of the gospel was implying deliverance from all kinds of restraint; so that they were under no yoke, and bound by no laws; since they were the children of God, they had a right to all kinds of enjoyment and indulgence; even the moral law ceased to bind them and that they had a right to make the most of their liberty in all respects.

But as the servants of God – we are not free from all restraint. 

We’re not at liberty to indulge in all things.

But we are bound to serve our God in faithful obedience.

There is freedom for you and me today. Jesus set us free!

Not for us to continue to live for ourselves and the world, but that we would experience the abundant life that comes through humility and submission to our loving God.

And we live in this freedom by submitting our life to the very capable hands of our heavenly Father.

Because there’s no freedom available to us by pursuing the world.

But when we pursue the Lord and all that He has for us, we will find our enjoyment in his loving arms, and receive the freedom that comes from abiding in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Something to think about…

Freedom is the opposite of a slave.

A slave does the right thing because his master told him to and will beat him if he doesn’t.

A freeman does good without anyone telling him to and does it because he loves it, not because someone will punish him for not doing it.