Galatians 5:1, 13-14 (ESV)

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

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Explanation:

Freedom is such a precious gift. It is certainly something we celebrate in America, the idea that we live in the “land of the free.” But we know when someone mishandles the freedoms we have been given, it can greatly damage their life and the lives of those around them. This truth doesn’t simply apply to our American freedoms, though; it also applies to our spiritual freedoms.

Just as there was a cost to achieve the American freedoms we have today, there was also a cost paid for us by Jesus to attain the spiritual freedoms we have. We did not earn them ourselves. The Apostle Paul states that, though Jesus very much wants us to experience the freedoms He provides, we can choose not to live in those freedoms. The way we do that is by choosing not to walk in the ways that Jesus has established. We can either try to find life and gain freedom by our own effort, which makes us a slave to a burdensome weight we were not designed to carry, or we can choose to try and find life and freedom through sin. Either way, the result will be that we experience all the damaging effects these ways can produce.

The reason Christ has given us these freedoms is SO WE COULD BE FREE! We are called to stand firm in those freedoms. Any other way ONLY produces death in our world, and leads us all down a path void of the life that Jesus provides. Therefore, Paul says to choose a life of freedom for yourself and others. The best way to gain this life of freedom is not through works or sin; it is through surrender. We need to surrender daily to God. For those of us driven by works, we need to trust that all of God’s promises are available to us for free, and no man-made standard is going to make Christ love us or free us any more. For those of us who are driven by sin, we need to trust in Christ for every freedom we try to find in sin. Christ has made us free and wants us to remain standing in freedom. Let’s not choose to try to find any other way outside of Christ to experience freedom. Freedom in Christ is best.

Application:

1. Why is it important to remember that Christ desires for us to be free in Him?

2. Describe a time when you have been a slave to works or sin.

3. Why does Christ not want us to be a slave to works or sin?

4. How can we stand firm in the freedoms of Christ?

5. What must you surrender today in order to find freedom in Christ?

Devo Plus:

Read Galatians 5:7-8. Take a moment and answer the question that Paul provides in these verses.

Prayer:

Lord, I do want to experience the freedom that You offer me. Please forgive me for any times I have tried to find freedom from either works or sin. I know that Your way is best, and I want to trust and follow You more. Help me to know today what I must surrender in order to find Your freedom. Thank You for Your freedom.

John 8:31-36 (ESV)

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Explanation:

For born-again believers in Jesus Christ, this is our Emancipation Proclamation. Jesus offers true freedom when we obey His teachings. Not freedom in the sense of autonomy or independence, rather freedom from the oppression of sin when we fully depend on Him for guidance through this sin-filled world.

Talk about upside down living! The people Jesus was talking to people who honestly believed they were not slaves to anyone or anything, and we are no different today. Jesus says unless we surrender our lives to Him, sin will hold us in constant captivity. However, when we commit to following His way of living, we are no longer slaves to sin. Through our faith in Christ, we are set free from the grip of sin, and we have the power to say “no” to the temptations that bombard us all day long.

Notice that early in the passage, Jesus says the truth will set us free, and later He says the Son will set us free. These words are interchangeable because Jesus is the Son, and the Son is Truth, and only the Truth can give us victory over sin.

Application:

1. Autonomy is deceptive. Without accountability, we tend to believe we have total control of our life and nothing we do has eternal consequences. Jesus says the only way to get control of our life is to give Him control of our life.

2. To “practice” sin is to reject God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, and thus live powerless to the control of sin.

3. Read John 1:1. Do you see how abiding in the “Word” will set you free?

Devo Plus:

Read Matthew 16:25. How does this “upside down” principle line up with today’s passage?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to realize that my life is not my own. I surrender my life to You, and ask You to make me sensitive to the temptations to sin that I face every day. Help me to call upon the Holy Spirit living inside me to get victory over any sinful patterns in my life.

James 4:7 (ESV)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Explanation:

Freedom is something we value as Americans. We like autonomy and the ability to do the things we feel will give us a better life. Our pathway to achieving that freedom is often paved with hard work, determination, and some grit that will win us the life and freedom we desire. Personally, I like to be known for my hard work and determination. It is something I value.

James, however, stands in contrast, not to hard work, but to it being the pathway to achieving freedom. For James, freedom comes through one thing…humility (4:6), and humility is embodied in submission. Specifically, in this context, James is encouraging those who are dealing with temptations of greed and covetousness (the root of many sins according to James 4:1-6). He is encouraging them to humble themselves, submit to God, and find freedom from these temptations.

Whether it be freedom from temptation, or freedom to live life the way we want, the path does not go through sheer hard work, self-dependence, or even fighting to keep our rights. The path to life in God is through surrender and submission.

Application:

1. What are your thoughts and feelings on submission?

2. Do they make it harder or easier to actually live this out?

3. Why do you think it’s important for God to ask us to humble ourselves and submit to find freedom?

4. What does it say about God, that He would require this? What does it say about us?

5. What is one area of your life that you need to surrender, so you can find freedom?

Devo Plus:

Humility and submission are important because it is what Christ modeled for us. Revisit John 13:1-15 and Philippians 2:1-11 from last week, and focus on the example of Christ and the reward for His willingness to submit.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, will You please help us to submit ourselves to You? That is not an easy thing for us. It is easier to scrap, fight, and work hard for the things we want, but surrendering and submitting is difficult. But I know You promise to care for those willing to entrust their lives to You, and it is in Your loving hands that we will find life as we desire it and as You desire for us. Amen.

Romans 6:17-23 (NLT)

Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Explanation:

In these verses we see:

1. A new liberty.

No person can expect real liberty who doesn’t really want liberty. The use of the word “slavery” is graphic for a reason. Sin is the most evil of masters, leading to a “living dead” life which is empty, hollow, void of peace or power. The freedom God offers leads not only to eternal life, but a vibrant, overcoming, “full of love” life now!

2. A new loyalty.

Emancipation from the master of sin brings not only a new liberty, but a new loyalty. Now you must be loyal to the master who purchased you with His own life’s blood.

3. A new longevity.

Now you have a new quality of life. There was nothing lasting about the old life of sin. You were headed for eternal doom. Now you are headed for eternal life.

Application:

1. Without Jesus, you had no choice. You were apprenticed to sin. Thanks to Jesus, you can now choose God as your master. Following Jesus, you enjoy new life...new patterns of behavior, new goals, new desires, new values, new responses, new interests and new outcomes. Have you deeply apprenticed yourself to Jesus? He’s a fantastic master, full of benefits, if you will but surrender.

2. Matthew 22:37 speaks of loving God with your whole heart, mind, and soul. How do you rate your heart’s obedience? God will give you the power to obey if you ask Him. It is a radical form of slavery that allows us to ASK to be mastered, only to be set totally free. How upside down is that?

3. It is impossible to be neutral. Every person has a master— either God or sin. A Christian is not someone who cannot sin, but someone who is no longer a slave to sin.

4. You are free to choose between two masters, but you are not free to manipulate the consequences of your choice. Each master pays with his own kind of currency. The currency of sin is an empty existence, void of freedom, full of boomerang actions and turmoil. Jesus’s currency is the power to keep getting up, grow stronger, heal, change, grow, flourish, and inherit eternal life. What will you choose?

Devo Plus:

Read John 8.

Prayer:

Lord, I bow my heart in surrender to Your love. Wash over me in power. Remake my heart to be one that craves Your touch...that longs for more of You. I ask You to give me new viewpoints, new approaches, new reactions, new insights, new ideals, new values, and new manners. I want to do things Your way Lord, and I ask for Your strength and wisdom to do so. In Jesus’s powerful name. Amen.

Romans 6:1-14 (The Message)

So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.

Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.

Explanation:

When you become a Christian, when you really, truly receive Jesus Christ as Lord, something happens that makes it impossible to go on living a lifestyle of evil. We die to sin. To help us understand how we can live a life free from sin, the apostle Paul speaks of baptism. In Romans 6:3-4, Paul says, "All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death. Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death." Paul wanted to help us understand the difference between the “symbol” and the “instrument” of dying with Christ.

When I married Phyllis, I put on a ring of marriage. By the action of putting a ring on my finger, I was also vowing to her to “love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, until death do us part.” Now, what I was not saying was, “By this ring, I am uniting myself to you alone.” It’s not the ring (a piece of jewelry) that does the uniting. You see, putting on my wedding ring was merely a sign of my uniting my life to Phyllis as her husband. Deciding to “leave and cleave to her, and her alone” is totally in the promise. The ring was merely the symbol.

My wedding vows can be compared to my faith and decision to follow Christ, and the ring can be compared to the act of baptism. Baptism is the symbol. Freedom came through my absolute surrender to Christ, not because I merely got wet. My decision to surrender my life to Christ is the reason I’m no longer a slave to sin.

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:6-7 NIV)

Application:

1. The test of our claim to be a Christ follower is: Does anger still have dominion over you? Does covetousness have power over you? Does pride? Laziness?

2. What are some steps you are taking to rid yourself of any such sin, such as confession or Bible study?

3. How would you know when you are accomplishing those steps, such as meeting with a friend or mentor?

4. How would your life look if you didn’t battle with sin? Think through how your life would look if you were to live like Jesus.

Devo Plus:

Take some time to look up and read Colossians 2:8-15.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me understand it’s in my commitment to You alone that I can be made free from my sin patterns. Please don’t let me feel that it’s only in my church attendance, baptism, or attending a Connect Group. I want to live as You modeled for me.

John 12:23-26 (NIrV)

Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life. Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Explanation:

In the beginning of these verses, Jesus is speaking to Gentiles (non-Jews). He is speaking in a metaphor about Him dying on the cross and how it will change the world. Just like Jesus said to His disciples, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7 NIV)

Jesus then says if your goal is to pursue things of this world (riches, power, fame, earthly desires), you will focus only on that and miss a relationship with Jesus. If you choose “to hate this life,” your love for God comes before the things of this world. You become second, and place others first in a sacrificial way, just like Jesus. He loved us so much that He came to this earth and sacrificed His life so we can spend eternity with Him. He came to this earth to show us how to live and follow Him. The way Jesus lived was radical… money wasn’t His top desire, He was with people He shouldn’t have been with, He loved all people. Following Jesus is a hard thing, yet so amazing when you choose to put yourself second. This means putting down your desires, and listening to the Holy Spirit when He asks you to do things.

There have been times in my life when God has asked me to do certain things, and I have followed Him. Then there have been other times when God has said something, and I didn’t do it. When I followed Him, I found pure joy in obeying my heavenly Father. My desire is to get my eyes focused on following God, the one who truly loves me, not on things of this world that will eventually fail me.

Application:

1. What things in this world are you pursuing more than Jesus? (time, money, worry, fear, your family)

2. How do you think your life would look different if you seek Jesus first and worldly things second?

3. “Follow me” sounds easy, but what things in your life would you have to give to Him or give up?

4. What things has God asked you to do and you haven’t done yet? What is stopping you?

Devo Plus:

Turn on a worship song for five minutes and sit with this question: What is God asking me to follow Him in?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for all You have given me in this world. Help me stop holding tight to the things of this world, and put You first. Today, help me choose to follow You even when it is hard. Help me slow down and put others first, and give You all my desires. I love You, Father.

John 13:1, 12-17 (ESV)

Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Explanation:

This account from John always makes me emotional as I read it. This is such a beautiful picture of God teaching us the importance of loving well and serving well. There is purpose in everything Jesus did while He was here on earth. He was teaching His disciples, by example, the importance of serving people. I love how Jesus points out that position is NOT important, that “a servant is not greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Jesus has clearly given us the example to serve each other. This can seem counter cultural to us, especially when God says that status doesn’t matter.

The last line of this passage is the most important, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Knowing to serve and love will not produce blessing… you have to act on it. As a mother of two girls, who has failed so many times in this area, I recognize that my children copy my actions. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. If I constantly tell them that they need to use their words and talk calmly, but I am constantly yelling at them, this is confusing. I have to lead by actions, not words.

Application:

1. How does it make you feel when you think about the Almighty God washing the disciples’ feet?

2. How are you currently serving the people in your life?

3. Do you struggle with serving/loving people who are in a “lower” position than you? If so, why do you think that is?

4. Ask God to soften your heart. Ask Him to place someone on your heart to serve today.

Devo Plus:

Look at these other scriptures about serving. 1 Peter 4:10, Galatians 5:13, and Matthew 23:11

Prayer:

Heavenly Father help me through your Holy Spirit to love and serve as you did. It is not always easy to desire to serve others, I pray that you would make it a priority for me. Give me the courage to trust you as that is what I am truly doing when I submit myself to others. And let me enjoy the blessing of living, loving and serving like you. Amen.

1 Peter 4:8-11 (ESV)

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Explanation:

As followers of Christ, we must work hard to love others (being concerned for them and working hard to help them). The phrase “above all” shows that it is of great importance, more important than other things. When we have true love for each other, it will compel us to forgive and not have hard feelings toward each other. We are to show hospitality to others and do it without grumbling! Each one of us have been blessed by God in unique ways, and we are called, as Christians, to use those gifts and abilities in a way to serve others and bring praise to God. All we do, all we have, we should use in a way to point back to God.

At times, I can fall into the mind frame of thinking that my blessed life (having a relationship with God) is to be used for me to enjoy. I can get so caught up in “my life” that I miss the true calling of a relationship with God….to love others well and to bring glory to God in all I do. When I view each opportunity and interaction with others as a way to love them well, and to use what I have been blessed with to point the attention toward God, I will experience a life I can’t get on my own.

Application:

1. What are some opportunities in your life that you have to show others love? How about hospitality?

2. What blessings and abilities has God given you? How can you use those to love others well and to bring God glory?

3. What is holding you back from doing the things you thought of for the first two questions?

4. Ask God to give you the strength (He promises to do this!) to take the next steps in loving others well and using what you have to bring Him glory.

Devo Plus:

Read Romans 12:3-8. We all have different gifts, but they all matter and are necessary. Think about what God has given you and how it can bless others.

Prayer:

God, no matter what season I am in right now, I have opportunities to love others and to use what You have given me. Help me to recognize ways that I can love well and be a blessing to others. Help me not just to see these opportunities, but to have the courage to walk them out. Thank You for how You graciously lead us and shape us to be more like You.

Luke 16:10-15 (ESV)

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Explanation:

We often throw around phrases like “When my finances are in order, I will be more generous,” or “When I get the raise, then I will give to the church.” Sometimes we say “When I have more time or when things slow down, then I will serve others.” We are all guilty of saying things like this at some point in our lives because being selfish is our human nature. We think since we worked hard for it, we should get to choose how to spend our money and resources. We also believe that time is precious and we should get to do with it what we want. We get caught up in this thought process because we are human and this is what culture is telling us. But God calls us to live differently.

In this passage, He is reminding us that we always have to take that first step. It may be scary. You may honestly have just enough to pay your bills, but the faith portion will always be greater than giving from what is left over. Jesus even reminds us that if we are not faithful when we have little, we won’t just magically become generous people when we have more. We have to start somewhere. God’s greater calling is for us to be good stewards of the gifts and resources He has given to us, which is honestly everything we have.

I can either choose to serve myself or God. I can’t do both, because one will always win over the other. By choosing to serve God with all of my resources, I recognize that He can do so much more with it than I ever could. Today, let’s make the choice to be good stewards. Today, let’s lay aside our selfishness and choose to serve God, not self.

Application:

1. What is something in your life you do not currently steward well (i.e., time, money, talents)?

2. Why is it so hard for us to choose to serve God above self?

3. What is a step you can take today to serve God instead of your own wants and desires?

4. How do you think your life is going to look different by taking this step?

Devo Plus:

Check out Matthew 6:19-24 to learn more about serving God with your resources.

Prayer:

God, we recognize that we are pretty selfish. We want to spend our money how we want, we want to use our resources for ourselves, and we make excuses for why we can’t give more time to serving others. Will you shift and change our hearts and perspective today? Will You remind us that we cannot serve both self and You? We want to be people who choose to serve You above everything else. Help us take those small steps of faith today. Help us to be people who are faithful and generous in all we do. We want to honor You. Amen.

Luke 14:7-11 (ESV)

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Explanation:

It is better to be humbled than to be humiliated. Do you remember when you were a kid how there was always that guy (or girl) who just had to be first every time the class would line up? They wanted to be in the best spot for lunch, recess, or going to the bus to go home. Maybe you were that guy. As kids, being first always seemed like a big deal, didn’t it? Being a “star” meant that we were important.

Fast forward to adulthood. We now understand that it’s rude to step in front of others when getting in line, but what about wanting to show that you “deserve” to be first? What if you lived life with the attitude that your time is more valuable, your social status is higher, you have better “stuff,” and it’s earned you a place of honor. You’ve worked hard for what you have and are proud of it. You want to be the star.

Jesus tells this parable about the wedding guest who believes he deserves to be in the position of honor, or in the front of the line. Jesus reminds him that he’s going to feel completely humiliated if there is someone more deserving of that position who comes in and results in him being moved to a lesser place. We’re human. It’s our nature to want to feel good about ourselves and even want to be first. Imagine this scenario: You attend an event and take a front-row seat that was reserved. No one has arrived yet, so you sit down. Five minutes later, the mayor (or another important person for whom the seat was reserved) appears, and you’re asked to move. You feel totally embarrassed and humiliated that you’re being asked to move to a lesser position in front of everyone who may be watching. This parable reminds us that being humble—taking the back seat and then being asked to come into a more important seat—is a much better posture than always being first. Our statuses and our “stuff” don’t hold eternal value, but humbling ourselves before God (and others who may be watching) is an investment in our heavenly reward.

Application:

1. Are there areas in your life where you recognize that you need to be more humble?

2. The last sentence of the passage says, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” What does that sentence mean to you?

3. Think of a time when you or someone you know had to be first. Looking back at that situation and reflecting on this passage, how do your actions measure up?

Devo Plus:

Read more about humility and what it means in the eyes of God. See James 4:6 and 10, 1 Peter 5:5-6, Proverbs 11:2, and Psalm 25:9.

Prayer:

Today, let’s ask God to show us opportunities to be more humble in our actions, to allow others to be first and lower ourselves. Ask Him to remind us that it’s better to be humble than humiliated.