Some
thoughts for Independence Day tomorrow.
From Galatians 5 The Message Bible
translation
The Life of Freedom
1
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let
anyone put a harness of slavery on you.
. . . . . .
4-6 I suspect you would never intend this,
but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans
and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we
expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ,
neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to
anything. What matters is something far more important: faith expressed in
love.
. . . . . . .
13-15 It is absolutely clear that God
has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom
as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather,
use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For
everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love
others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and
ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each
other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely,
animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of
selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds
with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness.
These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one
way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why
don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions
of a law-dominated existence?
. . . . . .
22-23 But what happens when we live
God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears
in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life,
serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion
in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and
people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our
way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
. . . . . .
25-26 Since this is the kind of life we
have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold
it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its
implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare
ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We
have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an
original.
Have
a safe and happy Fourth and remember to love one another.
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