Freedom

"For freedom Christ set us free, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

We are free from sin. Free. Once we are made new in Christ, we are no longer under sin's dominion. It has no precedence or power over us, only the power we choose to allow it if we put back on the chains.

But this verse means even more to me at this point in my walk. It also means that as a follower of Christ, I have free will. I am a free creature, free from any spiritual legalism. Free to follow Christ, not out of obligation, not with rules attached, not out of guilt or condemnation, but out of desire.

Free will is such an awesome gift from God. It allows for real love. Real love, genuine heartfelt love, requires choice, otherwise we would be like robots. We would have no active part of love, no heart behind it, if it was placed upon us. But God gives us freedom of choice to love or not. That is what allows for genuine love to be, and because He orchestrated it all, we can trust in His goodness.

He is so good, so good, and I have not been mindful of it lately. I don't know when it began, but a poison began seeping into my thinking recently. I have slowly been starting to act as if He were a tyrant, as though He required rules and obligations on my time with Him. I was making sure I closed every prayer, even the one-sentencers, with "In Jesus' name, Amen," that I blessed every meal with the same repetitive saying, that I prayed a certain way every time, that I fulfilled certain disciplines so as to have a "complete" quiet time with Him. I just slowly started doing this, not even really being conscious of it...never stopping and questioning if these rules were really from Him. And I was putting more focus on the rules I put upon Him instead of just Him.

It baffles me because I know Him better than that. I know Him better than to think He would attach all of those stipulations on our time together. Love relationships don't work that way. I'll say it again, real love is a choice that comes from desire, not obligation. Spending time with someone you love isn't subject to a bunch of rules, a checklist. It doesn't require certain things to happen. It isn't ritualistic, in fact, it's just the opposite. Part of the joy of relationships is not knowing what conversations will unfold, what surprises will blossom. And our God is the king of surprises...

Why was I putting Him in a box? I was more about what I thought He wanted me to say to Him instead of just talking to Him. I was praying how I thought I should pray instead of just letting loose my heart. All of my own rules were on my relationship with Him instead of His only rule--my absolute freedom in Him. Why did I think I had to do these things in order to spend time with Him, to be near Him? He is so much bigger than that!!! No wonder I was resistant to my quiet time; no wonder I was struggling to do it. I had forgotten such an important part of His goodness: my freedom. I am not under the law, but under grace.

And His grace is my freedom. Not only am I free from the chains of my sin, but I am free from any restrictions on going to Him. I do not need to prepare the floor to get on my knees, Jesus prepared it for me. I do not need to edit my prayers, God would rather have my authenticity. When Jesus made the way for me come to Him, His grace allowed me to come just as I am. I am free. I am free from obligatory rules, free from boundaries. Free to worship Him out of desire. It makes that desire burn so much brighter in my heart.