We all believe we are entitled to something. Marketing and consumer culture practically beg us to believe that we deserve the new expensive shoes, the skincare, the sweet treat, the $7 latte, the new truck, the new iPhone… You name it. Businesses appeal to our human nature because they know it works (don’t get me wrong, it works on me almost every time). We love our rights, and we love to hold onto the things we believe we’re entitled to. This can be anything from habits to money and possessions to the way we spend our time. But the moment we encounter Christ, everything changes. We begin to realize that nothing we have ever possessed belonged to us in the first place. It has always belonged to Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Since I began following Jesus, I have experienced more freedom than I ever thought possible. But, at the same time, I have also experienced a call to lay down my “freedoms” for the sake of the Gospel. These two ideas may seem to contradict one another, but the beautiful idea behind them is that we don’t sacrifice things in order to be loved by God. We abstain from things and lay down our selfish desires as a response to what Jesus has done for us. He loves us so much that he wants to cut away everything that could impact our intimacy with Himself. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.”
Recently, in my personal life, the Lord has been leading me to walk away from things to make more room for him. This is not because God is trying to take away my fun or make my life boring, but because he knows that it will ultimately bring me more life and freedom in his name (which actually brings way more fun into my life). I believe that God is always calling us to Himself. I believe there is always an act of obedience that allows us to take another step towards Jesus in every season of our lives. I don’t know what kind of season you are in, but I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit what the next step of obedience is for you today. Whether it’s abstaining from something, adding another five minutes of prayer time, or choosing to lay down an addiction, trust me, friend… Jesus’ way is always better.