Galatians 4:8,9
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Phantom pains are when one feels pain or sensation in a limb that is no longer there. When I read these verses, that is one of the first things that I thought about. We were once slaves. Not only was it to those around us, but more importantly, it was a slave to self and the sin that so easily traps us. However, we often feel the phantom pains of that rotting limb that has been cut off of us. Jesus Christ has removed us from that which would have killed us if not removed: SIN. So, let us let Him restore us with a new body that is not enslaved to "those weak and miserable principles".
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Pardon Me, But Can I Squeeze Through?
Luke 13:24
Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
This is one of the more well-known verses in the Bible, along with the 'camel through the eye of the needle' vs 'the rich man through the gates of heaven'. However, it may seem quite elementary with a quick glance, but it proposes some difficult things for those of us who are believers. One of the hardest parts is "for many...will seek to enter and will not be able." That's tough!
When I think of a narrow gate, I picture people in an almost single file line walking through a very cramped opening in a wall. The metal grate, used to seal the gate at night, is push back and those entering this gate bring nothing, but themselves in. Why? The gate is too small to accommodate anything outside of self. With that picture established, I feel that what the verse is saying is that the burdens of sin need to be thrown off and the heavy luggage of desires and wants need to be left behind. Jesus Christ wants us and only us. He will not contend with anything else. The narrow gate is a hard one to enter, for we don't want to lay down the things that we so foolishly and haphazardly cling to. We are infinite creatures stuck on the finite moments. Our biggest sin is that we fail to see that He has everything we need on the other side!
Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
This is one of the more well-known verses in the Bible, along with the 'camel through the eye of the needle' vs 'the rich man through the gates of heaven'. However, it may seem quite elementary with a quick glance, but it proposes some difficult things for those of us who are believers. One of the hardest parts is "for many...will seek to enter and will not be able." That's tough!
When I think of a narrow gate, I picture people in an almost single file line walking through a very cramped opening in a wall. The metal grate, used to seal the gate at night, is push back and those entering this gate bring nothing, but themselves in. Why? The gate is too small to accommodate anything outside of self. With that picture established, I feel that what the verse is saying is that the burdens of sin need to be thrown off and the heavy luggage of desires and wants need to be left behind. Jesus Christ wants us and only us. He will not contend with anything else. The narrow gate is a hard one to enter, for we don't want to lay down the things that we so foolishly and haphazardly cling to. We are infinite creatures stuck on the finite moments. Our biggest sin is that we fail to see that He has everything we need on the other side!
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