If Your Friends Jumped Off That Bridge …

God wrote the Bible, but He used humans to do it, so sometimes we run into complications while reading the Bible. Paul can be pretty confusing in his writing, but it is still God's word. We need God's help and wisdom to help us read the Bible. Take some time to pray.

Read Galatians 4:8-20. I will be focusing on verses 12 to 20, but reading 8 to 11 will help us to understand what Paul is saying.

Galatians 4:12-20

12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws.

You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.

Here's just a little explaining and back story to the verses. Paul is writing to the Galatians because he fears they are falling away from Christ. The Galatians are a perfect example of the Israelites, and sadly an example of us. Even though we were once slaves to the world and rescued by Christ, we sometimes want to go back to our old ways. So many times, God's chosen people wanted to go back to slavery or live like the other nations. In the same way we sometimes want to return to our sins and to the world.

We've all heard the expression : "if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?" Even though it's a bit of a ridiculous question, Paul raises a very powerful point in verses 12 through 20. Paul talks about how the Galatians received him as an "angel" then Paul says something so crazy! Vs. 15 "... If possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me." What!?! Are you serious, that's insane! The Galatians would have jumped off a bridge if Paul did. The Galatians were not focused on God, but they were focused so much on Paul. They were not listening to God. It's not that Paul was a bad person and shouldn't be listened to, it's that they were not looking to Jesus on how to live. They were looking to Paul.

I have read some awesome devotional books, but I recently read a few chapters of one that I didn't agree with. There were a few things that the author said that just didn't seem right. Some of his thoughts were focused on what we want God to do, and how God should do things for us. I don't believe we should live like that, thinking of God that way, I needed to make the decision to hold on to what I believe in, or accept someone else's belief.

Advice is a good thing. Especially from someone who is wiser and cares for you. But what is more important? What someone says, or what God says? Having Godly examples is good, and role models too. But what's more important? Being like those people, or being like Christ? Paul expresses that he is in anguish for them, because of the way they are living. When we look up to someone, make sure we see the characteristics of Christ in them, so we can strive to be more like Christ. When we hear advice or someone's beliefs, look for Biblical truth in that so you can decide to believe it or not to believe it. We need to use the example of Christ to discern what is right and wrong. Sometimes we are gonna hear things that we might not believe, whether in school, church, books, whatever, we need to look to Christ for the answer. Why strive to be like a imperfect person when we have the perfect person to follow.

QUESTIONS:

1. Think of someone you look up to and consider a role model

2. What Godly characteristics do they have? Now strive towards those characteristics that Jesus has, not what the human has. Christ is our ultimate role model and perfect example of how to live.

3. Use the beliefs that you have, think about what you have learned from the Bible, think about what Jesus has said: is there anything in my devotional book that you don't believe? Is there something that you believe that is different from what I've said? I hope there isn't but I am imperfect and there might be something wrong. Be honest with yourself and with me.

4. Take some time and journal about this passage

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written by Max