Galatians 5:1,13-16 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
In Galatians 5:13 God gives believers a seemly impossible command – “…by love serve one another.” This is not our natural course of action. In fact, our mindset most often is to by love serve ourselves. We eagerly seek to do what satisfies and gratifies ourselves, not others. We take the liberty that Christ has given us through the cross and use it to satisfy the various lusts of our own flesh. So this command of God goes against everything in our flesh and we discover that in order to obey it we desperately need His help! I am so glad He offers the key to accessing His unlimited help in verse 16 — “…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” If we will daily, moment by moment, yield ourselves to the Spirit’s control we can obey this command and “…by love serve one another.”
Who is it in your life that you need to “by love serve”? Make it your goal today!
Listen to a message on this subject Striving Together in Love
Josiah Kagin 