Galatians 5:1, 13-25 (NRSV)
Read Galatians 5:1, 13-25 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 5For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Verse 13For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. Verse 14For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Verse 15If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Verse 16Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. Verse 17For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. Verse 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Verse 19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, Verse 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, Verse 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Verse 22By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, Verse 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Verse 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Verse 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Devotion
In his treatise "On the Freedom of a Christian," Martin Luther writes, "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all." Living with this paradox is one of the joys of being a Lutheran! That's because the freedom we find in Christ doesn't mean being able to simply do what we want to do. It means continually seeking to discover what God wants us to do, and then doing it.
Former Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone used to say, "When we all do better, we all do better." That's one way to reconcile Luther's paradox. We give of ourselves so that others can have what they need—enough to eat, safe shelter, companionship, meaningful work, dignity. And we are free to do these things because we have freely received Christ's love. No paradox, just an abundance of blessing.
Prayer
May the freedom I cherish compel me to put others' needs before my own as I serve them with joy. Amen.