Why Go Back?

Galatians 4:8–9 (NKJV)

8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Do you remember the glorious day that you turned your life over to the Lord? The day you stopped thinking about it, stopped pretending you were living for the Lord, the day you truly gave your life over to the Lord and His will? The day you stopped living in the bondage of your worldly life and stepped into His promises, His grace, and His forgiveness? Aside from my wedding day and the birth of my children, that was the day I cherish most and always will. When we think of the pure joy of that day, it is hard to figure out why it is that we are so drawn back to that previous life.

Yo-Yo Faith

I started the Whole-30 Diet in September, and remained faithful to that diet until just before Christmas. This has been my dieting life for the last few years, on again, off again, on again… you get the point. I never knew anything less than 100% when I was playing sports. If a ball was three rows deep but hadn’t touched the ground, I could make that play and save the possession. If there was any opportunity to score in soccer, I would throw myself toward the goal hoping to direct a loose ball. Indoor track… okay, that was one I did not go all in on, I went to one meet, qualified for the state meet, and quit on the way home. Seriously I ran three races totaling all of about 30 seconds and was stuck at that meet for the other six hours. This seems like it could be another devotional. Anyway, my point is this… I feel absolutely great when I am doing that diet, all my sports injuries seemingly disappear. The pain from my four ACL reconstructions, gone. The ankle I fractured skateboarding, like new. Absolutely no pain in the vertebrae I cracked playing soccer. I feel great, then it happens, the fall! A doughnut here, an ice cream there, boom, all the pain floods back into my broken body. Do we not do the same with our faith? Everything can be going great, I am in the Word, I am in prayer, then that little sin catches my eye. Yo-yo faith, it does us no good.

A Better Way To Live

1 Corinthians 15:58 encourages us… (58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord… That is the way I want to live, I want to be steadfast and immovable in my faith. I do not want to be tempted away from that faithfulness. John 10:10 reminds us what our adversary desires… (10) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy… The complete opposite of the promise the Lord gives us, (I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly) our labor is not in vain for the Lord. The world around you needs to witness your steadfastness, see that you are immoveable, that you stray away from the world because of the wonderful life the Lord has made for you in Christ Jesus!

Closing Thoughts:

There is no reason to look back on your previous life, leave it where it belongs and seek the Lord’s coming promises instead.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.