Missing! (Galatians 6)

Missing! (Galatians 6)

Galatians 6.9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [nkjv]

On 1st March 1989, Debbie and Mark Baskin faced every parent's worst nightmare. Their two children disappeared. Christie & Bobbie, then seven and eight years old respectively were abducted. Over the years various sightings were reported to the police however the children were never located. Computer generated images of how the children may have aged were released to the media but to no avail.

Debbie & Mark, who were training to be Baptist ministers at the time of the abduction said, "We've prayed for them each and every day like they were alive and asked God to watch over them and bless them and to give them a normal life in the midst of insanity, in the midst of what they have lived through."

20 years later, God has answered their prayers! In February this year police contacted the Baskins say that they had located the children, now in their late 20's and charged Marvin Maple, the children's grandfather with their abduction. You can check out the news report here

There are many times we pray in earnest and don't see immediate answers to those prayers. No matter how difficult it is or how urgent the prayer, the simple truth is all we can do is all we can do. And we leave the rest to Almighty God.

The key is not to give up. It's easy, but dangerous to lose heart. In the ancient world, this phrase 'lose heart' was used to describe the kind of exhaustion a woman experiences during labour but before delivery. It was used to describe a time when the work is hard and painful, but also unfinished and unrewarded. But the encouragement from the Lord is when you walk through times like that don't grow weary in doing what you know to do, because in due season you will reap a reward.

And if you don't believe me, just ask the Debbie and Mark Baskin.

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The Bravest Loser! (Galatians 5)

The Bravest Loser! (Galatians 5)

Galatians 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. [nkjv]

Eric Choppin was 36 years old and 407 pounds when he got the call from NBC to say he was a contestant on Season 3 of the Biggest Loser. He had struggled most of his life to overcome his battle with obesity and this was the chance of a lifetime to finally walk free. It was literally now a matter of life or death as he had been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and a variety of weight related medical conditions.

He worked hard and with the help of his trainers, Eric managed to lose 214 pounds in 12 weeks, making him that season's Biggest Loser. However once the show was over and the cameras were switched off, Eric struggled to maintain his new weight. Over the months which followed, he gained 122 pounds! Feeling ashamed, he did his best to avoid the media by using older photograph's of himself on Facebook and myspace, and even turned down an offer to appear on Oprah with the other Biggest Loser contestants.

In January, Eric could no longer live a lie. He accepted a second invitation by Oprah to share his story and struggle. Many were shocked by how far he had fallen. During the interview he candidly admitted his failure, he apologised to those he had let down and made a fresh commitment to continue his battle to overcome obesity.

I've come to greatly admire people like Eric. People who refuse to give up despite failure.

I wish more Christians had this same tenacity. So many of us keep getting caught out by the same temptations over and over again. After years of falling down, we see ourselves as weak and powerless.

But the truth remains, Jesus has paid the price so we can be free. This doesn't give us a green light to sin but it does mean that if we fall, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So we have a choice to make, do we admit defeat and stay down or are we brave enough to get back up, dust ourselves off, place both feet firmly on the ground and continue the fight.

Someone once said, "the secret of happiness is freedom and the secret of freedom is courage."

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An Elephant Never Forgets! (Galatians 4)

An Elephant Never Forgets! (Galatians 4)

Galatians 4.7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. [nkjv]

The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world. In 1956, the largest elephant ever recorded was found in Angola, weighing in at 12,000 kilograms, with a shoulder height of 14 feet! These enormous creatures have incredible strength. In Africa elephants routinely knock over entire trees just to get to the tender branches they like to eat. In India, angry elephant herds have been known to push railway trains off their tracks!

I find it totally amazing that such a powerful animal could ever find itself in captivity. Yet we see them all the time in circuses and zoos all around the world. Despite how incredibly powerful these animals are, they have a weakness. You see, an elephant never forgets!

When an elephant is young, each night it is tied to a tree with a strong chain around its foot. The baby elephant wants to roam and struggles instinctively with all its might to be free, yet because of its small size and weight cannot break the chain. After many nights of struggle and failure, this defeat is etched into the young elephant's mind and they no longer resist.

When the elephant is fully grown, it can be tied with just a small rope to a stake. This powerful 12,000 kilogram animal could easily break free from it captivity yet its mind has been conditioned through its past experiences to believe resistance is futile. So it doesn't even make an attempt!

God's Word tells me that I have been forgiven of all my sins and washed clean by the blood of Jesus. It says I am a new creation. I have been made righteous. I am more than a conquerer, I can do all things and that when God is for me who can stand against me.

It says that I was once a slave to sin but Jesus has set me free.

Yet despite His complete work at Calvary, we often allow our past experiences to hold us captive. We still think like slaves when God calls us sons!

And we wonder why our Christian walk lacks power.

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Change My Conduct or Change My Name! (Galatians 3)

Change My Conduct or Change My Name! (Galatians 3)

Galatians 3.28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. [nkjv]

Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn't sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds. As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty. This was a serious offense, one punishable by death! So serious was the offense that in some cases a commanding officer would pour kerosene on the sleeping soldier and light it as a warning to all.

As Alexander the Great approached, the sleeping soldier began to stir. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life. "Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?" Alexander the Great asked the soldier. "Yes, sir," the soldier responded in a quivering voice. "Soldier, what's your name?" demanded Alexander the Great.

"Alexander, sir." Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What is your name?" "My name is Alexander, sir," the soldier repeated.

A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, "What is your name?" A third time the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, sir."

Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. "Soldier," he said with intensity, "either change your name or change your conduct."

Unbelievers had a name for the early followers of Christ. They called them 'Christians' or 'Christ ones' because they were seen to live and speak exactly like Christ would have. They saw these radically passionate people tortured, beaten, and eaten alive for daring to identify themselves with such a name.

But today the name 'Christian' carries with it a totally different meaning. It has been watered down by religion so as not to upset others. It has been tarnished by people of poor character in the pursuit or riches and power.

As a person who professes to be a Christian, I need to ask myself, "Do I really understand whose name I am carrying?" How much of His nature and influence is evident in my life? Am I really His? Have I allowed complacency, selfishness and pride to cause me to live less than who I really am?

Maybe the challenge given by Alexander the Great is one I need to heed. If I am not prepared to change my conduct then perhaps I need to change my name.

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What's in My Jar? (Galatians 2)

What's in My Jar? (Galatians 2)

Galatians 2.2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. [nkjv]

A high school science teacher wanted to teach his students a valuable life lesson. Taking a large jar, he placed several large rocks in it. He then asked the class, "Is it full?" Unanimously the class replied, "Yes!" The teacher then took a bucket of gravel and poured it into the jar. The small rocks settled into the spaces between the big rocks. And again he asked the class, "Is it full?" Most of the students replied, "Yes!"

The teacher then produced a can of sand and proceeded to pour it into the jar. The sand filled up the spaces between the gravel. For a third time he asked the students, "Is it full?" The students response was a much more reserved "Yes!"

Then finally the teacher brought out a jug of water and began to pour it into the glass jar. The water saturated the sand. At this point he turned and asked the class, "What is the point of this demonstration?" One bright student raised his hand and said confidently, "No matter how full one's schedule is in life, you can always squeeze in more!"

The teacher replied, "The point of the demonstration is that unless you first place the big rocks in the jar, you are never going to get them in later. The rocks are the important things in your life. If you fill your life with small things, you will never have time for the important things!"

Paul went to Jerusalem as a direct result of receiving revelation from God, revelation he received through spending time with God. Jesus did the same thing. The Bible says He often spent time alone with His Father in prayer and it was in these times that He received direction and encouragement. Both Jesus and Paul made their time with God a priority.

Our time with God is one of those big rocks in our life. So many times I've allowed myself to get so busy that I see it as expendable. A negotiable. One of those things I'll get to if I get around to it.

And there are other rocks as well. Time spent with my wife and children, time spent developing my strengths, time spent helping others. If I am not careful, I can get too focussed sometimes on the gravel, the sand and the water only to discover after filling my jar that I've left out a couple of my big rocks.

I need to make sure my rocks are the first things I place in my jar. They are my priority. After all these are the things which have eternal consequences. I need to choose each and every day, "What do I place first in my jar today."

At the end of my life, regardless of what I choose, my jar will be full. I just want it to be full of those things which matter most.

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He Took My Place! (Galatians 1)

He Took My Place! (Galatians 1)

Galatians 1.4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father [nkjv]

Ted Bundy was a normal guy. He lived a normal life. He grew up in a loving Christian home with five siblings. But he carried a secret, one that would eventually destroy not only his life but the lives of many others.

Ted was addicted to pornography.

As a young boy he was introduced to this world through magazines found in garbage cans, but over the years that followed, to satisfy the insatiable cravings inside of him, his addiction grew into harder and more deviant forms of pornography. He eventually moved his fantasy world into reality, becoming one of Americas most notorious and feared serial killers.

At 7.06am on the 24th January 1989, after a prolonged court case, Ted Bundy was executed at Florida State Prison. Hundreds of people outside the prison cheered upon hearing the news of his death. In an interview with Dr James Dobson, 17 hours before he was due to be executed, Bundy told his story and shared his acceptance of Jesus Christ as His personal Lord and Saviour.

Many across America found this difficult to believe! How could God ever forgive such an evil man for the horrific crimes he had committed? The thought of Ted Bundy in heaven left many with questions about God. To many it just didn't seem right.

But regardless of what we think, the truth is clear - Jesus gave Himself for our sins. No matter how black. No matter what we have done, Jesus did the greatest thing anyone could ever do, He gave Himself.

He gave himself for our sins. The word 'for' used in this verse is one which carries the idea of substitution. He took my place. He did it for me.

Paul, the writer of the Book of Galatians, knew better than anyone the power of God's love to transform a sinner's life. He was a murderer of Christians yet he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life was forever changed.

We have all sinned. Even as Christians we sin. The devil is quick to accuse us. But we can take courage from the truth found in this verse that there is One who has paid the price for my sin and His name is Jesus. He took our place and paid the price of our sin so we can walk free!

Martin Luther once said, "Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of satan. If he says, ' Thou shalt be damned,' you tell him: 'No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins...'

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