What is the THE KEY to the Christian Life?

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Life by the Spirit

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
No one would debate the horrible nature of slavery.  At the heart of human dignity is the freedom to exercise your basic rights as a human being.  Many people have been enslaved throughout all the centuries. Someone in slavery has either given up their rights, or someone else has taken them away. 
Paul starts this chapter out by saying, "It is for freedom that Christ Jesus has set you free, do not return to slavery." Paul is talking about a different kind of slavery even deeper than the one we were just describing.  It is slavery to sin.  We also call it our sinful nature. Our sinful nature rebels against God and it characterized by a life of self glorification putting oneself and one's desires above all else.  But Jesus set us free from our sinful nature by dying for us on the cross. When we come to faith in Him, He sends the Holy Spirit to live within us.  The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.  And Paul says it is a Spirit of "freedom"!
So once we have been freed, the only question is how are we going to use that freedom.  Either we can return to our sinful nature, in effect quenching the power of the Spirit in our lives. Or, we can live by the Spirit.  You see living a life led by the Spirit is very practical. In fact the quality of your Christian life depends on it.  Paul gives a VERY simple formula for what a life lived in the Spirit looks like.  He says rather than using your freedom to go back to serving yourself, serve each other humbly in love.  Is it really that simple?  Yes.  
In fact earlier Paul says that circumcision or uncircumcision doesn't count for anything, but the only thing that counts is faith working itself out in love.  May the Spirit guide you this week as God shows you people you need to love with the same love God has for you.  The Holy Spirit will give you the power to do this, you can count on it.

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