23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. — 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. — 2 Corinthians 3:17 Freedom is an awesome responsibility, make sure to use it well. There is much talk in the church world about grace, its power, and what it provides for us as children of God. The bondage of the law has been broken, but the importance of what it stands for remains. Due to the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we are not instantly doomed for eternity because we fail. However, that doesn’t mean we should lust after the things of the world and give ourselves over to the longing of the flesh. Our goal must always be to go deeper into our relationship with Jesus Christ, seeking to submit ourself to the Lord and His ways daily. We must always remember that we are not the only person being affected by our actions. As Christians we are set apart and truly are to be Christlike examples. As proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 there are many things that we certainly can do that at times we should refrain from. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you always should. A question to ask before doing anything is this: Does this help or hurt someone else’s Christian walk? Your rights to do something must be weighed against the positive or negative affect it has on others. Being concerned about the well being of others, actually improves yours. Where the spirit of the Lord is there absolutely is freedom, but we must remember that we have been given freedom from sin, not so that we can sin. Thanks to this freedom we are no longer limited in our ability to grow spiritually due to sin. Through the blood of Jesus and God’s grace we have been set free. If you have received Jesus Christ as your savior you have the Holy Spirit inside of you. That gives us victory over all temptation and sin as a whole. Walk in that freedom. Spiritual freedom is powerful and removes excuses from our life. Use it well. Austin Bishop has been a professional journalist in Mississippi for more than 45 years and is an ordained Assemblies of God minister. Those wishing to receive his daily d e v o t i o n a l / B i b l e study notes may sign up by texting 601-938- 2471 and asking to be added to either the morning or afternoon list.
