LIVE IT! - Week 8

Galatians 5:13-26 (Read it Here) lays it all out for us very clearly. We are free; but we cannot use that freedom to indulge in our selfish desires.

Actually we can... we are free to go and do whatever we want, but verse 21 has a dire warning if we do.

"I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God"

We live in a world that doesn't always comprehend that there are consequences for the choices we make.  Unfortunately many children grow up without being taught that actions have consequences. It's an almost pandemic issue sweeping our nation that we have the right to do what we want.   So many teachers today are struggling with teaching children and teenagers because they simply cannot communicate to them the importance of responsibility, and education, and that their actions even at such a young age will have a consequence later in life when they are trying to find work or build a life for themselves.

It is again the case of an overwhelming culture of the world around us, starting to have an effect on the church community. I feel on social issues like education and raising kids that Christians are still doing very very well - but that nature of not thinking of the consequences is influencing the way we see grace and our freedom from sin.   Yes it is well within our rights to do what we want, and Jesus has offered us unrelenting forgiveness and limitless love. But Paul warns at some point we have to accept that to be saved by Christ means being given a new life, and that new life is in the Spirit so cannot be enjoying all those sinful things and must be yearning for those fruits of the Spirit mentioned in verses 22-23.

If we don't come to realise that life change... maybe we've never actually been saved in the first place, because we've never accepted all that Jesus has to offer.  The consequence of that is huge!!

Today let's reconsider our freedom.  Firstly, do we have it? Have we accepted all Christ is offering, including this new life? If so, secondly, which life/nature are we feeding, that old sinful one or the new Spirit filled one?  They are both still alive in us, until we meet Jesus again - but we need to live out the new life, feed the Spiritual one - because that's what produces the fruit.