For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
You are free to love!
To some people freedom means 'selfishness with no consequences'. If that were the case, freedom would quickly become ugly as people rode roughshod over everyone around them.
Freedom is a total shift of mindset from feeling that I have to perform according to a set of religious rules to be accepted by God and His people to realising that life is all about relationships. God has removed my guilt because I have trusted in Jesus' death on the cross for me.
That moves me out of a guilt-driven life and into a relationship-driven life. As a Christian, now my choices are driven by love for God and for the people He has placed in my life.
Some people run away from legalism and into self-centeredness and an attitude that says, "I will do whatever I feel like doing and if anyone doesn't like it, they are connected to that old legalism and should be rejected." But Jesus is reminding us today that he is not calling us to go from legalism to the self-life.
No, Jesus is calling us from legalism to love! As you think about the people in your life, ask yourself, "How could I show love to these people today?"
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