by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Chasing Love

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I ran six miles once when I was in my mid-twenties. I had never run that far before and haven’t run that distance since. This dog could have run forever. He was free. There was no leash holding him back, no owner telling him to heal, just his ears blown backward by the force of his own running.

The freedom we have in Christ is like this dog running with abandonment.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Galatians 5:13-14 New International Version

Christ has released us from the leash of sin and death and set us free to run like we have never run before. But what are we chasing? This dog had a focus, and it was a ball bouncing down the beach. If the ball somehow ended up in the water, the dog ended up in the water. If the ball found a hole in the sand dug by children, the dog found that hole. The ball was his focus.

Though it sounds trite, we are free to run after love, love for God and love for each other. Love is the ball that we chase as the children of God. We are set free to love, which means we are set free to get messy. This dog needed a good rinse when he got home. Maybe they’re still finding sand in his fur. Running with the freedom of forgiveness means that we will get messy as we love others. That’s okay because we are constantly bathed in the blood of Christ, rinsed in his love to love again.

May you feel the air blowing your ears about as you run in Christ’s freedom to love even if that means you’re a little messy when you get home.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado