Our Freedom in Christ
Our Freedom from the Law – Part VII
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 3:17
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Lay aside everything you have heard about the Holy Spirit or “being filled” with the Holy Spirit.
First, read Romans 8:9:
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.)
Then read again today’s Key Verse.
Note that the last part of Romans 8:9 confirms that we receive the Holy Spirit when we come to Jesus and ask Him to be our Savior.
From the very beginning of our walk with Christ, we have all the Holy Spirit, even though He may not have all of us. It takes time for us believers to surrender everything to the control of the Holy Spirit.
Every true born-again believer has freedom because they have the Holy Spirit within, and where the Spirit is there is freedom!
But the Apostle Paul reminds us that we can allow the devil or the world to draw us back into slavery:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NLT)
The goal of today’s devotional, along with the past six devotionals in this series, is to make sure we are enjoying our freedom in Christ.
Having our freedom and enjoying our freedom does not always happen together, unfortunately. Far too many Christ-followers live under the heavy weight of guilt and condemnation because they are living by their “feelings” rather than by faith in God’s Word.
Most of us are aware of how fickle our feelings can be. One minute we feel good about ourselves, and the next minute we are beating ourselves up! Whether it is our negative self-talk or the devil himself shouting his lies at us, we must listen to God’s Word: “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”.
As we have discussed, there is a fine line between living in our freedom and abusing God’s grace by continually sinning. But remember that God never wants us to feel condemned.
As the Hebrew writer reminds us, God’s discipline proves how much He loves us. (Read Hebrews chapter 12 for a better picture of God’s love and discipline).
Stop worrying about how God feels about you… God loves and cherishes you! Enjoy your freedom in Christ and go represent Him well to the people in your world all of whom need a savior!
Father, I am so grateful that I do not have to earn my place in Your family. Help me to enjoy my freedom but not abuse it. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.