True freedom does not mean “anything goes”

I’m going to be blunt. This can be an uncomfortable passage. Some of us will read this passage and feel extremely vulnerable and seen, some of us will read this passage and think “this has nothing to do with me.” It can feel like this passage speaks directly, and only, to the sin of sexual immorality. It certainly speaks to that, and to the desires of our flesh, but it is much bigger than that.

You may not raise your hand if asked if you struggle with sexual sin, but how many of you might raise your (mental) hand if asked if you’ve struggled with control? How about a struggle with the way you speak to or about others? Maybe a little bit of struggle around the way you treat others?

We use our human bodies to do more than just seek pleasure. We use our minds to consume and create, we use our mouths to speak, we use our hands to direct, we use our hearts to love our neighbor. We use all these parts together to try to control the world around us. All these parts, and even this overall control, can be used for good or they can be used for harm and most often it’s both.

I know in my head, and even my heart, that God lives within me, and I know what a gift that is. I know that I have to treat my body and those around me like God dwells there, but I also know how ridiculously easy it is to make a snide remark about my neighbor, to speak harshly to my child, to be highly critical or unhelpful to a co-worker, and to punish myself when I make such mistakes.

Here is the good news. God created us as His beloved children and He gave us the gift of freedom, knowing exactly what that meant. He knew that we would use our freedom in ways both good and bad. We will do incredible things, and we will sin (more than once). But He didn’t leave us to struggle alone, and He certainly didn’t leave us to try to deal with the consequences on our own. He sent His Son and the Holy Spirit to both forgive us and to live in us for the good days and the bad days. We have the God of all goodness living inside of us, and no amount of sin or shame will ever be enough to push Him out. You are the brightest star and each little tarnish, with your simple ask for forgiveness, He immediately wipes away until you’re sparkling and shining once again. You are beloved.