Dear Servants of Christ,
“Freedom from” or “freedom for” are two different freedoms. This time of year, many celebrate “freedom from.” Freedom from … school as we start our summer break … work as we take that needed vacation … tyranny as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day. “Freedom from” is how we often think of “freedom.”
Why is “freedom from” so cherished? In part it’s about perspective. We’re freed from something curbing our ability to live as we would prefer. It’s this kind of freedom that enables us to live the lives we want. But if you think about it, that can lead to self-centered approaches for using the gift of freedom?
St. Paul says, “For you were called to freedom … Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13) Paul speaks of not only “freedom from” – slavery to sin, death, and the devil; but also about “freedom for” – a purpose. God has freed us FOR serving and loving others with the many gifts He’s given us – time, talent, and treasure. We’re freed FOR using them freely while also trusting God to replenish them, so we’ll never run short. No need to worry that we’ll not have time to do something, talent to complete it, or money to pay for it.
When we live this way, the anger, enmity, and strife caused by frustration that things aren’t going our way begins to vanish. The rivalry, envy, and division caused by comparing our apparent shortages with others’ abundance starts to fade. The need to drown our feelings in abusive behaviors, like drunkenness, goes away. Our new freedom, founded on trust in God, leads to lives filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:23). Why? Because we’re FREED FROM thinking about “what if, what might be, what could’ve been” and FREED FOR thinking about the possibilities God has enabled through Jesus Christ and our faith in Him and His promises of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In His Service,
Pastor Jim