For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. Galatians 5:13 NLT
A simple but thoughtful look around the world God created will make a foundational truth obvious: God has designed all His creation for a specific purpose. Frogs weren’t meant to fly and live in trees. They were meant to add to our environment by living and contributing to a water environment, aiding insect control, providing food for other animals, controlling algae and giving us warning signs about pollution, environmental change, and climate change. Eagles were not created to do any of that. They were created to fly high, see long distances, and be nature’s clean-up crew for dead animal carcasses. As top-level predators and scavengers, they regulate fish, birds, and mammal populations and prevent disease spread. Their nesting habits provide habitat for other species.
The Genesis account tells us that God created the moon to give light by night and the sun by day. We could go through every act of creation and see the reason behind the design. When it comes to you and me God created us for relationship with Himself.
In the Old Testament days, the days of the Old Covenant, relationship with God, though He loved His creation, was full of rules and regulations, like the way parents must love their young children through guidance and rules. But Jesus came and made a New Covenant with us, moving us into a new relationship. Now God has not called us to a life of rigid rules or heavy burdens, but to radical, beautiful freedom. Our relationship with Jesus liberated us from the bondage of sin, shame, and the need to prove our worth. True freedom is not an excuse to please ourselves, but the joyful power to love, serve, and live with purpose.
The world generally defines freedom as doing whatever you want, whenever you want. However, true spiritual freedom – the kind Jesus provided for us – is completely different. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, “But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:13-14 NLT). This is the purpose for which God designed us, and the life that Jesus has called us to live. We will find our greatest satisfaction and adventure in aligning ourselves with our design and calling.
- God, thank You for creating me with great purpose and for the call of Jesus to live in the freedom for which I was designed. Teach me to use my freedom to love and serve You and others and to stand firm in my faith and focus.