Reflection: The right use of freedom
Jesus’s words in today’s passage point to a loving God who wants to give us good things, but there is another message too. In the analogy the father refuses to give a snake or a scorpion when the son asks for a fish or an egg. But what would happen if the son asked for a snake or a scorpion? Surely a loving father would refuse to give those to him.
As our all-wise and all-loving Father, God wants to give us good things and does. But we don’t always know what’s best for us. Part of walking with Jesus is growing in our ability to use our freedom correctly – not just to get whatever we can or whatever we want but to seek that which aligns with God’s will for us. True freedom – for followers of Jesus – is not about the absence of constraints, but about using our choices to please our heavenly Father.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I don’t always know what’s best for me, but you do. When I get my requests wrong, please don’t give me what I’ve asked for. But help me as I grow in you, to be more and more like your son Jesus, so that I can ask for what accords with your will for me and so that I can use my freedom to love you and love others well. Amen.