Christian Freedom Has It's Dangers

Romans 14:17
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and
joy in the Holy Ghost."

    Paul is talking about peril and Christian freedom. All His life he had been surrounded by rules and regulations. so many things were unclean and so many clean, and so many laws had to be observed. When the Jew came into Christianity as well as lot of Christians today found that all their petty rules and regulations were abolished at one stroke, and the danger was that he might interpret Christianity as freedom to do exactly as he liked. We must remember that Christian freedom and Christian love go hand and hand; we must hold fast to the truth that Christian freedom and brotherly love are bound up together.
    Christianity does not consist in eating and drinking what one likes. It consists in three great things, all of which are essentially unselfish things. There is Righteousness and this consist in giving to God and men what is their due. Christianity means putting others first and self last. There is Peace. In the New Testament peace does not mean simply absence of trouble; it is not a negative thing, but is intensely positive; it means everything that makes for a man's highest good.Let's not forget Joy: Christian joy can never be a selfish thing. It does not consist in making ourselves happy; it consists in making others happy. A so called happiness which made someone else distressed would not be Christian. If a man, in his search for happiness, brings a hurt heart and a wounded conscience to someone else, the ultimate end of his search would not be, joy, but sorrow. Joy comes to the Christian only when he brings joy to others,      
    When we  follows this principle we become a  slave of Christ. The essence of the matter is this: Christian freedom means that we are free to do, not what we like, but what Christ likes. Without Christ a man is a slave to his habits, his pleasures, his indulgences. He is not really doing what he likes. He is doing what the things which have him in their grip make him do. Once the power of Christ enters into him then, and only then, real freedom enters his life. Then he is free not to treat men and not to live life as his own selfish human nature would have him do; he is free to show to all men the same attitude of love as Jesus showed when He gave His life and took our sins upon Him on Mount Calvary. 
Amen!

Reading: (Rom. 14:13-20)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry