“For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal. 5:13-14).

You are called to be free. You are not a slave to pride, sex, selfish ambition, human affirmation, money, or vain pursuits anymore. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus broke the bonds of sin and made a way for you to live a life of liberty. The Father wholly accepts you because of this sacrifice. There is nothing to prove and nothing to earn. You are free.

This kind of freedom shouldn’t lead you into a life of self-centered indulgence, forgetting the work of Christ on the cross, but should drive you to radically love God and love your neighbor. Do you see the wonder of it all? Jesus didn’t set you free to serve yourself, but set you free from yourself to serve others. Gospel freedom is the freedom to love; it is the freedom to serve others without being served in return.

Is your life marked by freedom in Christ or slavery to sin? Do you consistently serve yourself, or do you freely serve others? Don’t be discouraged. Look at the cross and see your freedom.

Today, ask God to search your heart and reveal anything that stands in the way of liberty.