Tethered: The Freedom of Obedience

Major crisis yesterday. We lost the dog's leash. He was at the groomer's waiting to be picked up and we were stuck. We absolutely could not pick him up without the leash. Tucker is a wonderful Dog and loves us very much. He really tries to be on his best behavior all the time. Every once in awhile, though, without any warning, he goes "rogue" on us. He'll chase after a cat or even jump another dog. He's the cutest little terrier mix with an Alpha Dog personality. I saw him go after our boxer mix once and, in the midst of pulling all 22 pounds of him off our 75 pound dog, needed to stifle a giggle at the sight. So getting him past all the other animals in the veterinarian's waiting room (they also do grooming) without a leash would be a risky move. As it turned out, the leash had been forgotten at the vet office when we dropped him off that morning. Thank goodness! It was definitely a needed accessory as we negotiated around all those agitated animals and made our way safely home!

Although we don't have leashes, Christians, too, are at risk of straying or even leaping from our path from time-to-time and can benefit from a bit of tethering ourselves. We are free to live by grace through our faith in the One who has given us that freedom. We live under the authority of God, thanks to Christ who has set us free. However, although we are free from the old law, it is in our best interest to obey the guidelines set before us in scripture.

Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. 1 Corinthians 10:14

If we run every which way, without tethering our behavior to His Word, we will not be living in the fullness God desires for us. Even when we have the best of intentions, even when we love the Lord very much, it is so easy to give in to our fleshly desires when we don't stay close to His desires for us. We have total freedom in Christ. That freedom is not the kind that makes it OK to do whatever we want and ask forgiveness later, though. It is freedom to love each other, freedom to forgive each other and freedom from the burdens placed upon us when we fall into the sinful traps this world throws in our path.

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? Galatians 5:13-15

We are not dogs; however, we can learn a lesson from them. They are happiest when they submit to their master. In the most tempting situations, they are happest - and safest - when they are actually tethered to their master. Through their obedience, they can enjoy the most full life possible.

Through our obedience to God's Word, being tethered to Him through a constant conversation with Him by means of prayer, His Word, listening to Him, and discussing His Truth with fellow believers, we can enjoy the fullness of His blessing on our lives. We can find our purpose and pursue our ultimate goal - bringing glory to God - while minimizing our risk of being distracted by useless dog and cat fights along the way.