Called!

Called!

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Galatians 5:13 KJV

God chose Abraham and his descendants as his chosen people, simply because Abraham walked with God by faith. That covenant was sealed by the physical act of circumcision, which required the cutting off of the foreskin of all male children, freeborn or slave. That act was the outward seal of the inner work of faith by Abraham. And as we know, the old testament is a foreshadow of the new covenant, and the full picture of the old testament is made manifest under the new. 

The old testament demanded full obedience to all parts, if one would enjoy the full benefits available under the law. However, under the new covenant, there is an emphasis on the righteousness of God as the reason why I can stand perfect before God, not mere adherence to the dictates of the law. If all I have is obedience to the law, and nothing else, then I have nothing. God makes it clear that by the law, no one is justified before Him. It doesn't matter if you are circumcised; if God does not hold and own the life itself, the physical act by itself is of no eternal benefit. 

For all who have come into faith in Christ Jesus, who are called BRETHREN, there is a liberty that you enjoy. You don't talk of liberty if there was no previous bondage. It is a liberty from something into something opposite of what you were delivered from. When I examine my life, can I honestly say that there is a clear difference between where I was before and who I am now? And it is a call, because no one could have come into this new relationship on his or her own. It is God who calls, and it is by grace, through faith, that any one would even hear and respond. 

So, with this liberty comes responsibility. It is no longer fashionable to serve the former interests from which I was set free, which would mean that I am not grateful for my new stand. I must not return to what I was set free from; otherwise, it means that I was never free. It is a freedom that sets me free from self-indulgence, so that I am conscious of the call to servanthood, seeking to express love in all I do.

How else would people know God through me if my life doesn't reflect Him? How else would people be drawn to God's love if I am not a physical representation of that love? The fruit of God's call upon my life is love for God and other people, and service to the same God and people is the outward physical expression of that fruit. So, how's your fruit? How's your life? How's your call? His time of favour is here.