What is Freedom For?

Freedom!!!!! Sounds good! Yell "FREEDOM" now! Doesn't that sound good!! Your flesh hears that and says, "YIPEEE! I can do anything I want!!! I can bite and devour others!!! Get even!!!" Your Spirit hears that and says, "YIPEEE! (Your name here) is now free to love unconditionally, serve others, experience true freedom!!!". Listen saint. The battle is over. It's over, it's over. The flesh loses. Do you really feel better when you operate in Galatians 5:13 and 15 by taking your freedom and sin and bite and devour others? You really are miserable if your are operating this way. I encourage you to try another tact. Do something wild like....serve someone - with no expectation of getting anything in return. That's real service. Just do it for the sake of doing it. Let your reward be one that make you feel good inside. The Bible says things done in secret will be rewarded openly. God sees. He's a really good rewarder. Isn't that all that matters? If you want the joy that comes with helping others, joy will have to be the only thing you need for thanks. How about that crazy and wild verse 14? Love thy neighbor as thyself. Your neighbor will not be nice sometimes. Your neighbor will have a bad day - maybe many bad days. Can you love him through it? Like you love yourself? Verse 15 says if you,"bite and devour others" you will be consumed and the "others" may be devoured also. Do you really want to do that? I heard someone say once that their goal in life was to destroy a former friend's business and ship them home. The hate eventually got to point of physical threats. WOW! What a sad person. Does that sound like a God plan? Not according to Galatians 5:13-15. The flesh takes you to places you don't want to go. How do you fight these thoughts and feelings? Serve and love - unconditionally. Then you can't be hurt and you can't hurt others. Jesus says for us to be perfect as He is perfect. How? James 2:8. Operate one law - the "royal" law of love.