This morning I am going to tell you the story of two dogs.

Beardsley was a Jack Russell Terrier who came into our family as a five-month-old male pup with a love for freedom. He had never been in a crate, on a leash, or confined in any way. He pretty much came and went wherever and whenever he pleased.

Then he came into our family.

We began taking him for walks on a leash. He slept in a crate at night and was suddenly thrust into a world of rules. He never really liked the leash. He never really liked being in the crate. If he was outside, he had to be tethered in some way. He was a strong dog—once dragging the concrete block his run was attached to across the yard and across the street in pursuit of a squirrel!

Beardsley never did learn to follow the rules. He was not a good dog.

Addie is an Australian Shepherd who joined our household when she was just two months old. Addie was immediately introduced to the leash and has never really fought against it. She is easy to take on walks. We taught her to come, sit, lay down—all commands that could be used to protect her. We showed her the boundaries. She learned to respond to our voice.

Now there are times when Addie can go outside without a leash. She stays close by and usually comes when called if she starts to stray outside the yard.

I remember once going out to rake the leaves in the yard. Addie stayed outside with me for almost two hours without the leash. She would occasionally wander into the neighbor’s yard, and I would call her back.

She was no longer bound by the leash. She simply responded to her Master’s voice. Addie is a good dog.

That is the picture Paul gives us in Galatians 3. The law was a leash given to show us the boundaries. It made us conscious of our sin and showed us that we were falling short. But the law was never meant to be our master or save us. It was meant to point us to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Paul says in 3:25, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

Faith now leads us. The Spirit now leads us. Jesus told us that all the Law and the Prophets hang on two commands: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

That is freedom.

The goal of the Christian life is not to see how close we can get to the boundary without crossing it. It is not to constantly ask, “Is this allowed?” or “How far can I go?”  The goal is to become so attentive to the Master’s voice that obedience becomes the natural way we live. We no longer rely on the leash.

Beardsley looked for opportunities to run—ways to get out from under the restraint. His focus was on the things of the flesh—what he wanted. Addie looks for opportunities to please. What does the Master want?

And therein lies the freedom: moving about without the leash while remaining obedient to the Master’s voice.

That is what spiritual disciplines are meant to produce in us. They train our hearts and our ears to hear the Spirit. A well-disciplined dog is a beautiful thing to watch—not because it is constantly being restrained, but because it has learned to respond to its Master’s voice without restraint.

The goal for every believer is to be led by the Spirit and obedient to the character of God—not because a rule is pulling us back, but because we have learned to recognize the Master’s voice.

Obedience without the leash is freedom through the Spirit.