13 You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love.
Reflection
My Dad, having served in the 101st Airborne Division, would take us out to the smaller airports to watch the skydivers. He would bring along his binoculars to watch them descend. As my sister and I were young children, we were more fascinated with the binoculars my Dad looked through, than we were with the skydivers. He would pass the binoculars to us to follow the skydivers’ as their parachutes opened as they descended. First we had to locate the
skydiver in the sky, and then bring them into focus by turning the focus ring. This required patient practice but we’d become frustrated, so we would flip the binoculars and look through the wrong end, where everything was out of focus. The only way we could see clearly was to be intentional in our focus.
The Apostle Paul, in today’s scripture, is talking about the freedom from sin and the judgement under the law that we have through Christ Jesus. We literally have a new, abundant life in Christ. We are called to this freedom, a gift of God, that was paid for by Jesus, not to live a life devoted to self, but a life devoted to serving others. Paul was concerned that Christians would see this freedom as a ‘get out of jail card,’ where they continued to sin, and then would ask God for forgiveness, only to go and sin again. This is not the disciple’s life lived in freedom and love, but a self serving life and a mockery of our salvation in Christ. Our salvation in Christ calls us to shift our life focus from being self serving, to serving others through love.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
Lately, I’ve been feeling like things are out of focus, between what I see happening in the world, and how I am called to serve. When life distractions pull my focus, I can lose my way forward. That’s when I know I need to look towards Jesus. Like bringing objects into focus on binoculars, Jesus is the example we follow, the lens through which we see the broken and hurting world. Where we are set free to love, to serve and to grow in grace through the Spirit.
We are called to be free, having been forgiven and redeemed, we are guided by the Spirit. Have you experienced the freedom of new life in Christ? How will you use your freedom? What are you focusing on, are things blurry or clear? Are you in need of shifting your focus from self to others, from worry to trusting God? Let Jesus shift your focus.
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, sometimes it seems like things are blurry and out of focus. Shift
our focus from ourselves to others, from fear to trust in you. Spirit, help us to live into the freedom we have through Christ to love and serve each other. Amen.
