We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law.
Learning to dance is so unnatural at first, particularly for someone like me who never danced. And, because I had always focused on my performance, effort, behavior, and marching, I was afraid I’d blow it. It may be scary and that is the reason some never try to dance because most are afraid to step into the freedom that Christ offers. Why? Because we’ve got this huge misunderstanding about how God views us, and that turns most of us into marching slaves.
So what is slavery? According to an online dictionary: A person today is considered enslaved if they are forced to work against their will; are owned or controlled by an exploiter or “employer”; have limited freedom of movement; or are dehumanized, treated as a commodity, or bought and sold as property.
If marching is slavery, dancing is freedom:
- Freedom to live
- Freedom to enjoy
- Freedom to obey
- Freedom to share
- Freedom to fail
- Freedom to start all over again
- Freedom to move with the music of the Spirit
Galatians 5:1 reminds us that if marching is all about my work for Him, then dancing is all about the finished work of Christ for you and for me.
The Galatians were struggling with the law—all of this grace stuff was new to them. They were uncertain whether to continue in the old traditions of the law or follow the new way of grace that Christ provides for us. I’m inviting you to step into His grace, to step into the truth of who you already are in him.
The world we live in is all about performance and people are ready to judge you at each turn. But God doesn’t work that way. He has a completely different system and it’s called grace. And we can believe in it, rest in it, and then dance like nobody’s watching.
I’m not sure how you did in high school but since I was a marcher, it was all about performance and getting that good grade. Because of Christ’s finished work on the cross, Christians already have an A+ in the class of life. No judgment, no threats of failure, no condemnation, all have been removed. Nothing we do can ever make our grade better, and nothing we do can ever make our grade worse.
How does knowing that you have an A+ before the class begins change your experience in that class?
- There’s less pressure.
- There’s less bragging.
- There’s less competition.
- There’s less self-flagellation.
- There’s no fear of failure.
- There’s more joy.
- There’s more life.
- There’s more focus.
Why? Because for people with transformed hearts, there’s freedom.
See you at the dance.
(Thank you, Pete Briscoe for leading us in the dance.)