It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (Galatians 5:1, NIV)
It was on long summer afternoons like those we’ve now entered that we would have the golf course mostly to ourselves—a few juniors, maybe a club staffer, maybe somebody’s dad. And that’s when cross country golf became possible.
I’ve heard others speak of this same rare opportunity, when the place is empty and you can play almost any routing you’d like, from the tee you’re standing on to any green in the distance. You could call out a par if you wanted, but it was just a matter of who could get from here to there in the fewest number of shots—and we all knew it wouldn’t be very few!
A golf course is meant to be played in a certain way, of course. But when everybody in the bunch knows how to keep things on the up-and-up, such freedom is a true joy. Go where you will. Look out for others. Care for the world around you.
When we read the ideas of freedom in Scripture, we often get uncomfortable.
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
It can’t really mean no-parameters, go-for-broke freedom, can it? Won’t we find ourselves giving in to a whole lot of sin and irresponsibility if we go down that path?
That depends. For one, most of us find ourselves giving in to a whole lot of sin already. For another, when Scripture mentions this freedom, it doesn’t immediately couch its terms and launch a series of caveats. It says simply, “You’re free.” In fact, if I asked you whether the prevailing picture of the gospel in Scripture is that of a cell door thrown open or that of a cell door slammed shut with you locked inside, you wouldn’t even consider that a real question. The answer is too obvious.
But here’s a clue. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And where the fruit of the Spirit is enacted, “against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:23). So rather than fretting over what we might not really be free to do, go in this direction: show all the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control the Lord governs in you, and let the rest take care of itself.
—
Jeff Hopper
July 1, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.