Liberty!

Liberty!

Galatians 5:13 KJV

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

As always, the audience will define the expectation. You cannot expect or demand the divine lifestyle from a life that has not yet experienced the true source of that divine life. Who I am fully connected to will always show up in my daily pursuits and priorities. This is why it matters that Paul was addressing the brethren here: people who had been made free by Christ. It is important to consider the impact and import of this liberty, so it can be properly applied to life. An online definition says liberty is reedom is 'the power or scope to act as one pleases.' That is how the world puts it, but we know now, from experience, that this is not the full picture. 

Is anyone really at liberty to do as one pleases without consequences? Even within a country and its borders, there are rules and limitations on the scope of people's behaviour, and it is only when one lives within the boundaries of these rules that one can truly claim to be at liberty. It is not a license to do as one pleases, regardless of what the rules say, but a license to live right, within the rules, and in consideration of other people's views. You are not limited by what other people say, but you are mindful to let your liberty guide your daily engagement with people who may not see eye-to-eye with you. You are not dismissive of contrary views, but you are able to use your life of liberty to impress the mind of Christ on those who you engage with and are ready to listen. 

The picture here is one of liberty with utmost responsibility. Love is the compelling reason why you see people the way God also sees them, knowing full well that the grace of God is the reason why you are who you are, where you are, and how you are. The reason why I need to be careful is because the devil can seek to fill a man's heart with pride, so that the focus becomes a sense of superiority, and not one of appreciation. The flesh will continue to fight for relevance, but it is by my daily submission to the help of the Holy Spirit that I will remain connected to the source of that divine life. Until the day the Lord returns for me, it has to be a daily dependence on Him. That is true liberty, with great eternal consequences. What say you? God's time of favour is here.