Freedom — In the Spirit – Monday
TODAY’S VERSE
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (ESV)
When I was younger, I remember finishing a long season of exams. The moment I walked out of that last test, there was this overwhelming sense of relief: it’s done. No more studying. No more pressure. No more proving myself. And yet, later that same day, I caught myself checking notes again… almost like I forgot I was already free.
Isn’t that how we often live?
Paul is writing to people who had been set free by Jesus—fully forgiven, fully accepted, fully justified. And yet, they were drifting back into a mindset of earning it. They weren’t returning to wild, reckless sin; they were returning to religious performance. They were picking up a new kind of slavery that looked cleaner, more structured, more “spiritual.” But it wasn’t freedom, it was still slavery.
Just because something feels disciplined doesn’t mean it’s producing freedom. Not all structure leads to freedom. Some of it just looks cleaner than the chaos we left behind.
Jesus didn’t set you free so you could trade one form of slavery for another. He didn’t rescue you so you could spend your life trying to earn what He already gave you. Freedom in Christ isn’t reckless; it’s relational. It’s walking with Him, not performing for Him.
We can be incredibly consistent in things that slowly pull us away from Jesus. We can build systems, routines, and expectations that quietly try to whisper, “God will love you more if you do this.” But the Gospel says the opposite.
Jesus didn’t go to the cross so you could spend the rest of your life trying to impress Him. He went to the cross because you never could. And in His final words, “It is finished,” Jesus declared that your striving is over. Freedom in Christ is not the absence of structure; it’s the presence of relationship. It’s not a life without obedience; it’s obedience flowing from love, not fear.
So why do we drift back? Because control feels safer than surrender, and checklists feel clearer than trust, but that’s still bondage. We drift back because deep down, we still believe we have something to prove. But you don’t. Jesus has already proven everything on your behalf.
The question is: will you live like that’s true, like you are actually free?
APPLICATION
Identify one area where you are trying to earn God’s approval (through discipline, performance, or comparison). Write it down and consciously surrender it to Jesus this week.
If this resonates deeply, consider reading The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller to better understand grace and identity.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for setting me free through Jesus. Forgive me for the ways I try to earn what You’ve already given. Help me to stand firm in Your grace and walk in the freedom You purchased for me. Amen.