19.06.2025 | Free Indeed—A Life Unburdened | HEART ANCHOR
Standing firm in the freedom Christ gives
Galatians 5:1

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Bible Text

“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”
Galatians 5:1

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Introduction

“Christ has set us free to live a free life!” With these words, Galatians 5:1 begins. Freedom is one of the most powerful longing-words of our time: free from constraints, free from guilt, free from crushing expectations. But what does it truly mean to be free in Christ? And how do we safeguard that freedom in everyday life?

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 Devotional

Paul directs this appeal to churches tempted to fall back into their old mindset of law-keeping. They believed that without strict adherence to religious rules and traditions, they could not please God. But Paul emphasizes: our relationship with God is not built on outward performance, but on the one, finished work of Jesus.

Freedom from performance guilt
Sooner or later we all feel we’re “not doing enough”—at work, school, in friendships, or before God. The freedom we gain means we are no longer slaves to our own successes or failures. God’s love for us doesn’t depend on how “good” we feel.

Freedom to love
Released from the pressure to keep every rule perfectly, we can love with all our hearts—our neighbors, our families, even those who have let us down. Freedom in Christ liberates us from self-obsession and opens us to genuine community.

Freedom for responsibility
Freedom is not a license for selfishness! Christ sets us free so we may willingly take responsibility—for one another, for our society, and for God’s creation. Those who know true freedom use it for the good of others.

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Story – The Garden of Freedom

Lisa was part of a youth group where everyone talked about their “spiritual achievements”: Bible-reading streaks, prayer statistics, and volunteer hours. Soon she felt she had to keep performing more and more just to belong. One day she visited her grandmother in the countryside. In the overgrown garden behind the old farmhouse stood a neglected apple tree, its gnarled branches choked by brambles.

Her grandmother handed her a small pruning saw and gently said, “This tree is old and wounded, but it can bloom again. You just need to cut away everything that is needless and hindering.” Hesitantly, Lisa began removing the brambles and dead limbs. Bit by bit the tree regained air and light—and by the next spring it was covered in blossoms.

When Lisa returned home, she felt a stirring inside: just as the apple tree could only flourish once it’d been freed from its weight, so her own freedom had been hindered by a constant need for extra prayers or to show off her Bible-reading record. She deliberately pruned the “brambles” of her daily life—the comparisons, the need for praise, and the fear of not doing enough. In that new lightness she discovered that true discipleship isn’t about ticking off lists but about a living relationship with Jesus—free, fruitful, and full of the Spirit’s blooms.

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Thoughts: What does this mean for you?

• Where do you feel performance pressure? In school, at work, or in your commitments?

• What habits enslave you rather than set you free? Social media, comparisons, others’ expectations?

• How would you like to use your freedom today? For friendship, for justice, for generosity?

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Impulses for Today

1. Pause briefly: Take five minutes to pray, “Jesus, show me where I live in bondage.”

2. Switch off intentionally: Put away your phone or laptop for an hour and pursue a real conversation.

3. Share freedom: Do a kind deed today without expecting anything in return—a gift of time, a smile, or an encouraging word.

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Prayer

Lord Jesus,
thank You for freeing me from the yoke of performance and fear. Open my eyes to the walls I’ve built around myself, and grant me the courage to let go of anything that would enslave me. Teach me to live out my freedom with love and responsibility—for You and for those around me. Amen.