Slaves no more

The 4/9 verse of the day is Gal 4:9, “And now that you have found God (or should I say, now that God has found you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless powers of this world.?” (NLT)

Have you ever done something before and made a vow to never do it again, only to find, in a few months or years, that you’ve forgotten your vow and you’re right back in that same situation? Frustrating, isn’t it? We all do it. That’s why I often think that I could have some Jewish blood; not because I’m Jewish, but because I can certainly act as poorly as the Israelites ever did. I groan; I moan; I complain: I whine; I’m impatient; I’m prideful; I’m selfish….you name it and I, unfortunately, can claim it! I’m not proud of it, but it’s true. Something tells me I’m not alone in my propensity to gravitate back towards my sin. Some of you may be able to relate to me on that one.

I’m really bothered when I do that sort of thing, though. Because, when I accepted Jesus as my Savior, he forgave me and saved me from every sin I had ever committed or will ever commit in the future. God has provided me with all the knowledge and power I need, through the bible and his holy spirit, to make the right choices and live a godly life. Why, then, do I return to the things I said I’d never do again? Why do I get sucked into gossip sometimes, even though I know how toxic it is? Why do I become a slave, as this verse asks, to the things of this world; things that seem so attractive to me, but can never fulfill me? Why do I put other people, things, and dreams before serving my God and being obedient to him; thereby making false idols out of things that have no power or strength? I could blame the Israelites for being a bad example, but that just wouldn’t be fair, now would it? No, this is all on me.

It does seem preposterous that we would ever want to be slaves again after we’ve been set free, doesn’t it? Even after God used Moses to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, they went around in circles in the desert for 40 years instead of moving forward in the right direction. All they had to do was follow God, wait on him, and learn to be free. He even showed them the way, much like he shows me. I sure hope I'm a much quicker study than they were.