"It is for freedom Christ has set us free..." Galatians 5:1

"It is for freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Galatians 5:1

When I was an itty, bitty baby Christian, this verse fascinated me, and it still does to this day. It is for freedom we have been set free! 

I remember my high school years, and even my first year of college. I worked very hard to be 'free'. I had determined at the end of 8th grade that high school would be different. I wanted a 'do-over,' although they didn't call it that back then. I would remake myself, be the funny, intelligent, inspirational and awesome writer that I was, and conquer the world, or at least four years of high school.

Ugh! I was an abject failure, because, in case you didn't notice, it was all about me.

My first summer of college and the next spring & fall of my sophomore year were similar. I was getting better. At least, I was doing the 'do-over' better and faking it very well. I was still full of pain and hurt from my childhood and teen years, and although I longed to be free, I was still held down by the constraints of myself and society--and sin. 

I did not know what freedom was, until I was free. 

Free! Free from what? You may well ask. 

The more I attempted to set myself free, the more entangled I became in my life. The pleasures of this world did not set me free. I thought they would, but they didn't. They couldn't. I was trapped, but did not know it--until Christ set me free.

Freedom is knowing who you are in Christ. I thought I knew me, but I didn't know anything about myself! I thought I was a 'good' person. I thought I was better than other people. I thought I was prettier, more talented, more intelligent, more interesting than other people. What a foolish, silly girl I was!

But when I met Jesus, I realized how much a captive I had been. But now--WOW! Now, I may actually be some of those things (but most likely not anymore!) I also may NOT have been those things & only thought I was. But Jesus tucked me under his arm, dunked me in a sea of blood and washed me, cleansed me, purified me so that I would be Onesimus* to Him. I now knew that I had never been 'good'. And I realized that all my words, if not written for Him, were empty and useless to Him. He had given me whatever smarts I had for me to serve Him, not to serve myself. And like a child on the first warm and sunny day of Spring, I threw off my garments of wickedness and sinfulness, of selfishness and arrogance; all the hurts and bitterness and excuses and guilt--God yanked those things away from me and dressed me in garments of righteousness, clean and pure and royal and righteous.

For freedom He has set me free.

When I realized that my salvation did NOT depend on me or anything I could do--that was so freeing! Life was suddenly filled with joy! Maybe that sounds corny, but it's true. Laughter is beautiful! Life is beautiful! I had become a child of the King and would never be disinherited or thrown away.

For FREEDOM Christ has set us free!

You may not feel much like praising God today. You may feel overwhelmed by life. Your family may be a mess. You may be a failure at your job, at life, at everything. You may feel worthless, depressed and alone. You may feel too sick, too weak, too nauseous, too tired, too, too, too--too everything. The good news is that God's love is not dependent upon your circumstances or how you feel. It is steadfast. It does not change, even when our feelings or circumstances change. Even if we cannot pray or worship or praise Him, Jesus is the same from before, and now and forever. And it is for freedom you have been freed!

Even if all you can do is cry your hurts and needs into your pillow, if you have believed in Jesus Christ; if you have begged and pleaded for His forgiveness--and have received it--you are free. FREE! It is for FREEDOM you have been set free! If nothing else, rejoice in that.

But if you don't know the freedom and joy, the peace and amazement, the power of rebirth and forgiveness--if your heart is hard with manger or hurt or hate--

It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Believe in Him. Accept His sacrifice. And live in the freedom and joy of obedience. Yes, there is joy in obedience. Set your burdens down and push them away. You will be free, free, FREE!

Turn away from your life of bondage into the freedom that is only found in Jesus. Then you will be free indeed!

*(See the book of Philemon in the New Testament to learn about Onesimus.)