Freedom in Boundaries
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15, New International Version
Receiving the Spirit isn’t an even trade. In the Bible, Jesus never asks us to trade down. Giving your life over to Christ does not make you a slave to him. In fact, it frees you. It frees you from death, from worldly standards of perfection, from an un-payable debt. Devoting your life to a single cause may seem like a great sacrifice but God tells us it’s actually an upgrade to sonship. As children of God, we are not bound by fear. We can live freely, and in confidence that our Father is righteous.
Life in the Now
God gives us boundaries because we are his children, not because we are enslaved to him. It’s so tempting to violate those boundaries when others constantly do so and don’t seem to suffer consequences. These are the moments when boundaries feel more like restrictions of freedoms, and sonship begins to feel like slavery in return. God sets boundaries but he gives us freedom within those boundaries in hopes that we use those freedoms to glorify Him. Part of receiving the Spirit is having faith in God’s character. When faith is based on circumstance, it’s faulty and extremely temperamental. He is just and our world is not. Be encouraged by your freedom through your adoption into God’s family.
Think About It
Do you feel more like a slave to Christ or a daughter of Christ?
Are you constantly comparing your own character to others?
Do your faith circumstance based? Or is it based on God’s character?
Talk About It
God, release me from any notions of slavery and help me to think and act like a daughter of Christ. Constantly remind me of my freedoms in you and help me to be thankful of the boundaries you have created for my own good.
More of the Truth
And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God