TLIC FAMILY. DAY 168. JUNE 17: THE LAW OF LIBERTY.

THINK TOGETHER

How many Bibles do you have in your house?

READ TOGETHER

The word “bible” means book. But when James was alive they didn’t have books or “bibles.” They had scrolls. So James won’t call God’s word the Bible, he’ll call it something else. Listen to these verses and see if you can hear what James calls the Bible.

James 1:22-25. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

One of the things James called the Bible was the law of liberty. This probably seems like a strange title doesn’t it? Laws and liberty don’t seem to go together. Rules don’t make us free do they?

Yes. Real freedom and happiness come when we let God rule our lives and tell us what to do. When God tells us to love, be kind to others, or obey our parents, he’s not taking away our freedom. He’s actually giving us our freedom. If God told a fish to swim or a bird to fly, he wouldn’t be taking away their freedom, he would be giving them their freedom because fish were made to swim and birds were made to fly.

In the same way we were made to love God and love others. When you are already free in Jesus, his laws can only make you freer and freer. When you are already loved by God no matter what, his rules can only help you love him more.

Because of Jesus God’s law (the Bible) can’t make us guilty anymore. 

With Jesus we can obey God’s law, loving him and others.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Look in a mirror together. Have everyone say something that might need fixing (hair out of place, food in teeth, spot on clothes). Make sure everyone is nice to each other! Talk about how the Bible is like a mirror that helps us to see Jesus and then know how to be like Jesus.  

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, I want to be more like you. Help me to use your word, the law of liberty, to know you better and love you more. Amen.