“You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex (bewitched - in NIV and KJV) on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!”
~Galatians 3:1-4 (MSG)
It’s interesting to me how this passage starts out. Really you could put anyone in the first sentence who has taken their eyes off of Jesus. In fact, I believe the Lord has given me many opportunities in this last year and a half to remember my character does not depend on who is around me or what the circumstances of a situation are. My character depends on the One I serve, the One I live my life for. I can look at a situation and see it through my Father’s eyes, if I keep my vertical relationship with God strong.
The second sentence in this passage talks about a hex, but in the King James Version and New International Version, the word used is “bewitched”. Which webster’s dictionary tells us means, “to influence or affect especially in a injurious way.” The Galatians were being influenced to take their eyes off the very truth of what they had seen and known. They knew Christ the risen Savior and when their eyes were off of Him, they started to think they had to live by the law the knew before. They began to live their lives by work. We do this. We take our eyes off of Jesus and start to think we can make it in life on our own. Sure we can make it through the day to day events, but eventually we will run out of strength. Only God can provide the strength we need, through His Son.
The attitude we walk into a situation with is what makes the outcome of a situation. Is the glass half full or half empty? You are the only one who can determine if the day will be good or bad. You have the ability to wake up and make a good decision for God. This makes me think about a story of two men, one saw everything as good, and the other learned from his friend. Read this story and think to yourself, which would you rather be.
The Way Things Seem
by:Author Unknown, Source Unknown
| The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking
at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is not good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.” “No,” his friend replied, “This is good!” “What do you mean, ‘This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” “If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you.”
I really enjoy this story. We will never be good enough on our own. We will never be perfect. But in God we have atonement for our sins through Jesus Christ. May we not lose sight of all that we have. May we continue to have clarity and see that ALL IS GOOD! We have a great thing on this earth and in eternity because of Jesus Christ our Lord. May we pursue Him with reckless abandonment! Lord, please help me to see that all is good! You are good and in that even the worst of circumstances can be made good through the grace of Your hands. I’m blessed by the abundance of joy You give me each and every day. I pray I continue to live in Your mercy and always have a good attitude. May I walk in the knowledge that my glass is always half full because You are in my life! I love you Lord! Living in the wholeness of the Lord, Sarah |