Galatians 5:13a - Contemporary English Version
‘My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want’
When nothing ever seems enough
You do your best at work, at home and for the people around you. Yet it can feel as though you must always do more to be good enough. Perhaps you even wonder whether God sees you that way. Do you have to put your life in order before he will accept you? Paul wrote to people who were struggling with the place of rules in their faith.
Freedom with a purpose
Paul addressed his letter to young churches in Galatia, a region in what is now Turkey. A debate had arisen there: did believers have to follow Jewish law to belong to God? Paul pointed them to Jesus Christ. They did not have to earn God’s acceptance by ticking off a list of rules. Their freedom was a gift.
But Paul also raised a question that still matters today: what will you do with that freedom? If everyone thinks only of themselves, the same colleague is left with the hardest work and a lonely neighbour is easily forgotten. So Paul encouraged believers to serve one another in love.
That can begin in a small way. Someone at church invites a newcomer to share a meal. A neighbour picks up groceries for a person who has trouble walking. A friend listens without immediately offering advice. That is one way love says, “You matter.”
Final thought
Perhaps you are tired of feeling that you have to prove yourself. You can bring that weariness to Jesus. Ask him your questions and discover what his love means for you. Whom could you help today? And whom would you dare to ask for help?
A prayer
“Jesus, help me come to know your love. Free me from the feeling that I must earn everything. Teach me to notice others and to accept help myself. Amen.”