Pastor Granillo: Freely Human

By Pastor RAUL GRANILLO
Los Alamos

Having dealt with addictions and other struggles in my own life, I know how tempting it can be to compromise with slave masters for the sake of comfort. I know what it is like to convince yourself and others around you that you are a not a slave, but a willing partner.

I know what it is like to sacrifice in order to escape bondage and then to consider the possibility that maybe it wasn’t the slave master’s fault but your own for being weak; and that if you are strong enough then you can go back to that lifestyle, not as a salve, but as a willing participant in full control. I know what it is to fool yourself.

Charles Kingsley once said, “There are two freedoms: the false where a man is free to do what he likes; and the true where a man is free to do as he ought.” When we are led by our desires for instant gratification, we are not free; we are slaves to our desires. To be fair, there are many who accept this as the very basis for freedom, to do as we please. But what if true freedom is bigger than that? What if truly being free is not just about what you can and can’t do, but about being a genuine and glorious human being whose life inspires others to seek the same? What if freedom really is about doing what you ought to do and doing it out a deep love for yourself and others?

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34 NIV), but for His love for you, Jesus offers every one of us freedom—a true freedom. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV). Nothing can take this freedom from you, but be mindful because we have a bad habit of seeking a relationship once again with our slave masters. Just as the Hebrews wanted to go back to Egypt, many today seek to go back to the comforts of bondage under the false banner of freedom.

Yes, as Christians we are free to do many things, but why would we want to flirt with slave masters who have proven to seek only to destroy us? Why do we work so hard to justify sin? Why are we so bent on seeing how close we can get to slavery once again without getting trapped? Doesn’t that reveal who we are really slaves to? Paul wrote, “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 5:1 NIV).

Being freely human is to refuse the burdens that come with slavery and instead to seek the freedom that Christ offers. Being free is about being genuine and being glorious, it is about loving God and using our lives to free others so that they might be able to do the same.

To find out more about La Vista Church, or to hear this and other messages, visit our website at www.lavistanaz.org or email me at raul@lavistanaz.org.

Please come join us as we fix our eyes on Jesus. We meet Sundays at 9AM for Sunday school and 10AM for worship. Everyone is welcome!

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