Freedom

Thursday July 3rd, Romans 6: 15-18 So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. The problem of God’s grace is human immaturity. Saved by Grace? Great, that means I can go and do whatever I want and God will still forgive me!?! Well, yes, but not exactly. Turning our focus from God to us is a great way to let sin set the hook in our lives. What is lost is not God’s love, or God’s forgiveness, but rather our freedom to live in that love and forgiveness. We are free to smoke crack and forgiven if we do, but we still lose our teeth, health, friends, respect and eventually life. We don’t all smoke crack of course, but do we do that is life denying rather than life affirming? What do we do that is outside of God’s plan for our lives? The freedom to offer yourself to sin is the freedom to give up your freedom.