Unlocked in this World
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Galatians 5:13-15
The Apostle Paul reminds the reader that we are called to be free but to not use that freedom to do whatever we want, pleasing ourselves. He calls upon us to use that freedom to serve one another humbly in love. That is the fulfillment of the law which is to love God and love others. When we fight each other, we will be destroying each other. How do we make sure we don’t indulge the flesh? Walk in the Spirit. He gives a list of what the acts of the flesh are compared to what it means to have the fruit of the Spirit. We are under the Spirit and we must walk in the Spirit. Don’t be prideful thus provoking one another. Use freedom to encourage others, not to do what you want.
I recently watched a Netflix show entitled “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment” with is a reality show and documentary that centers on an initiative to improve and affect prison inmate behavior and rehabilitation. The warden of the prison wanted to see whether creating a more free environment could change the atmosphere in prison. All the prison cell doors are unlocked, no guards are present, an attempt to foster a sense of responsibility and self-governance is made. Obviously it isn’t 100% freedom and the inmates are still monitored by CCTV cameras but a small amount of freedom is given to them. The show was quite interesting because you saw multiple different types of people. The inmates, aside from a few hiccups, were mostly going about their days and the peace was not disturbed. This is because majority of the inmates enjoyed the additional liberties they were experiencing and they did not want to lose that privilege. What was the point to cause chaos against one another when they were all the same status and in the same location.
In some ways, I think about the freedom that we have in Christ today while we are temporary residing in this broken world. Being chained and enslaved to the flesh is what brought despair, sadness, sorrow, anger, violence, etc. but when we found Christ, we found love, joy, peace, etc. When we keep that vision alive within our hearts, we will be reminded not to indulge in our personal and selfish desires or ambitions. What is the point to cause chaos against one another when we are all of the same status and in the same place?
Let us not be prideful and provoke one another, we can only do so when we walk in the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit, we will love one another. We will be joyful towards one another. We will have peace with one another. We will be long-suffering towards each other. We will show kindness to others. We will have goodness in our hearts about others. We will be faithful. We will be gentle in our demeanor. We will have self-control. No human is perfect but when we have the same vision and goal to aim for, which is to be more like Christ and walk in the Spirit - we will greatly enjoy the freedom we have.
“Evildoers are snared by their own sin, but the righteous shout for joy and are glad. 7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. 8 Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.”
Proverbs 29:6-8
People are rejoicing when righteous people are thriving. When there is wickedness in the leadership, the people will no longer rejoice and groan. Only the righteous will care for the poor and needy whereas the wicked only care about themselves. Only the wicked will stir up anger and strife with one another whereas the righteous will seek to turn away anger. The bloodthirsty and wicked hate the people of integrity. Those that walk in the flesh and have a hot-tempered, will cause and commit many sins. Pride will bring a person low whereas a lowly and humble person will gain honor.
When we discipline our children, it is because we do it out of love and to bring peace in their lives. One that does not discipline his or her child does not express or show love towards their children. No discipline means no love. When we discipline or correct our children, it is evidence of our love towards them.
