The Life of Freedom (Galatians 5:1-10, MSG)
1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.
2-3 I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.
...
4-6 I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
7-10 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment.
My notes - with a few thoughts/words borrowed from Pastor Steve at Grace & Truth...
1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.
2-3 I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.
...
4-6 I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
7-10 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment.
My notes - with a few thoughts/words borrowed from Pastor Steve at Grace & Truth...
1. You were set free to live free - stay that way! Don't let anyone enslave you again - even yourself.
2. The moment you allow yourself to be enslaved again - by anything - the gift of freedom is voided - or traded - for the yoke of slavery.
3. When you try to do it on your own you cut Jesus out of your life even if you claim by word or deed to be waiting expectantly for Him. All that matters when our relationship is right is faith expressed in love - which for me means fellowship or being together with others.
4. I was running superbly - everyone would testify to it. Who cut in on me? I did. I caused the detour. The enemy was only too happy to help but it was me. The enemy may have planted yeast but I started trying to do this on my own - I accepted the gift as something I earned or deserved rather than just being a gift of walking/running the race with Jesus. I have had to endure the judgment of shame and embarrassment for gaining the weight back and realizing I was walking by myself rather than with Jesus.
The good news is I don't have to stay there. I can and am walking away and walking with God as together we lace up our running shoes and hit the trails. I thought I'd take a break from the path I was on and live a "normal" life for a while. But what I thought was normal was really only bondage and not life at all.
Here's to life, every day running with Jesus, and never being or seeking normal again.
Less of me. More of Him.
-Eric
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