If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law (Galatians 5:18).

Paul said that walking according to the Spirit is not license: an excessive
or undisciplined freedom constituting an abuse of privilege. As a Christian you
may see the phrase “You are not under the Law” in Galatians 5:18 and exclaim,
“Wow, I’m free! Walking in the Spirit means I can do anything I want!” Not at
all. In the previous verse Paul wrote, “You may not do the things that you
please.” Being led by the Spirit doesn’t mean you are free to do anything you
want to do. It means you are finally free to live a responsible, moral
life–something you were incapable of doing when you were the prisoner of your
flesh.

Once I was invited to speak to a religion class at a Catholic high school on
the topic of Protestant Christianity. At the end of my talk, an athletic-looking,
street-wise student raised his hand and asked, “Do you have a lot of don’ts in
your church?”

Sensing that he had a deeper motive, I answered, “What you really want to ask
me is if we have any freedom, right?” He nodded.

“Sure, I’m free to do whatever I want to do,” I answered. “I’m free to rob a
bank. But I’m mature enough to realize that I would be in bondage to that act for
the rest of my life. I’d have to cover up my crime, go into hiding, or eventually
pay for what I did. I’m also free to tell a lie. But if I do, I have to keep
telling it, and I have to remember who I told it to and how I told it or I will
get caught. I’m free to do drugs, abuse alcohol, and live a sexually immoral
lifestyle. All of those ‘freedoms’ lead to bondage. I’m free to make those
choices, but considering the consequences, would I really be free?”

What appears to be freedom to some people isn’t really freedom, but a return
to bondage (Galatians 5:1). God’s laws, from which we seek to be free, are not
restrictive, but protective. Your real freedom is your ability to choose to live
responsibly within the context of the protective guidelines God has established
for our lives.

Thank You, Lord, for the privilege I have to choose to live in freedom. Help
me not to abuse that privilege today and find myself in bondage.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .

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