Saying Yes To Freedom

I know it's not Faith Fridays but I think we all need a bit of Jesus more often! Something has really been speaking to my heart lately while doing my daily devotionals and that's freedom. When you think of freedom it can often bring visions of reckless behaviour where nothing matters because you are free to make whatever decision you want but God has a bit of a different story with that one!  God gives you freedom to choose, but He loves you and wants you to choose Him every single day. Each day you arise is a new opportunity to say yes to God all over again and let me tell you that is such a privilege! Freedom goes beyond that though. We were set free from captivity, from sin, from all that could burden us, through Christ. You are so loved, you know that? So much so that Christ gave it all up to have you set free. But are you going to use your beautiful gift of freedom to go back and open your arms up to the chains that used to bind you? I hope you decided your answer is no! Don't take my word for it, the Bible says it very clear:
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" Galatians 5:2
You are being called to stand firm. It's not about being wishy-washy. You were basically given a "get out of jail free" card without deserving it one bit. I know it can seem harsh but you weren't set free because you deserved it, rather your Saviour had so much love for you that He gave it to you anyways, knowing you would fail. So you might be asking yourself, what do I do with my freedom? That's a good question and as usual, the Bible has the answer for you!
"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. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbour as yourself" - Galatians 5:13,14
How sweet and utterly simple is our Daddy! Being unchained and set free from captivity was so that you could be able to serve each other better! Again, it's not about us, it's about Him, ALWAYS! His sacrifice was not for you to live a wild and reckless life. I've heard so many teens say "well it's my youth and I want to have fun. I'll be responsible later" but guess what? Depending on what you do with your youth, you may not even make it far enough to get the chance to be responsible. Let go of what everyone else values. Everyone is going crazy wasting their life in things that don't nurture their souls, but you are called to be crazy about the one who made you and gives you the opportunity to wake up each morning with air in your lungs. You're called to be different. So different that you would much rather spend your life loving others, not pushing them to the ground deeper each day. You lift people up! It's simple, one rule. Love your neighbour as yourself. So choose to say yes to freedom every single day. To break the chains that may be holding you captive and making every second be about serving others humbly and loving them under every circumstance, no excuses.