That's Gross!

Growing up I had a dog named Erin. She was a black a white Sheltie, a smaller version of a Collie (this picture below is not of her, but of a similar looking dog). She was a wonderful dog and was a great addition to our family. If you own a dog, or have owned a dog, you may recognize they can do some pretty disgusting things. One time we were on a car trip as a family, in our station wagon. Erin was in her kennel in the back. She must have gotten sick or something because we heard a pretty strange noise, and looked back. Apparently, Erin was car sick and threw up in her kennel. It was pretty gross. We were almost to our destination so my parents decided not to stop. When we arrived at our friend's house we went back to clean up the mess only to find it had disappeared! Erin ate her own vomit! Gross huh? So why this story?

What stood out to me: Verses 8-9 say this, "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?"

Why did this stand out to me: Paul was talking about sin here. The Galatian church was going back to their former way of life. They saw God in action, they experienced Him in amazing ways, and it was not enough to keep them following on God's path. This stood out to me because in my life I have returned to sin again and again. I know it is not good for me and I know it is not what God wants from me, but I still return to it.

How does this apply in my life: Many of you know my story and how I was stuck in a world of lust and pornography. I have been freed from that and I no longer give into that temptation (praise the Lord). But reading this passage of scripture made me remember what it was like to be a part of that world and how I was constantly going back to it after I had committed to never doing it again. I was returning to my vomit, just like Erin did. I knew it was bad for me, but I kept going back, until I was confronted about it and changed my behavior. As far as practical application goes, sin is something I am no longer a slave to. I do not have to participate in sin. It is no longer my master. Jesus is my master. I am His slave. I do His will (At least my best interpretation of it for my life!). My life purpose now is to follow Him where He leads me and encourage other believers to grow deeper in their relationship with Him, as well as show non-believers what He has done in my life.

Hey, thanks for reading today! I will be back tomorrow, and we will be reading Galatians 4:21-31.

In His service,CrazyPete