"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"

Think about building a house. A contractor comes to your property and says, "I'll lay the foundation if you pay me. I'll frame the walls if the weather is good. I'll finish the roof if materials arrive on time." That's a contract. Everything depends on conditions being met.

Now imagine a father building a home for his family. He works in rain or shine. He finds solutions when materials are delayed. He stays up late because he's building something that matters. That's a covenant.

The Pharisees approached God like contractors negotiating terms. They asked, "What's the minimum work required? What conditions let me walk away? How can I fulfill my obligations and still do what I want?" They turned grace into a business deal instead of a love relationship.

Here's what's incredible: this same thinking shows up in how we approach our faith right now. We treat God's grace like it's permission to get close to sin instead of power to run from it. We ask, "How much church is enough? What's the smallest tithe that counts? How worldly can I be and still be Christian?" Just like the Pharisees with their divorce certificates, we're looking for loopholes in love.

But a covenant doesn't work that way. A covenant says, "I'm yours no matter what." It doesn't ask, "What can I get away with?" It asks, "What can I give?" A contract looks for the exit clause, but a covenant builds for forever. In that difference lies everything about how we walk with Jesus.

So here's the real question: When you approach church, giving, serving, forgiving, or holiness, are you thinking like a contractor or like family? Because contractors show up when conditions are right, but covenant people show up because love requires it. Contractors do what's owed, but covenant people give what's possible.

The freedom Christ gave you wasn't so you could see how close to the edge you could walk. It was so you could run full speed toward love without fear of falling. That's why Paul says we're called to freedom, but not freedom for the flesh. We're free to serve, free to love, free to give ourselves away. That's covenant living, and it changes everything about tomorrow's choices.

Identify one area where you've been doing the minimum required and choose today to do something extravagant instead. Give an extra hour in prayer, serve without being asked, or extend forgiveness you've been withholding.