^{Galatians 5:1-6}

¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ²Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Unless I’m missing something, the two verses following Galatians 5:4 actually give the answer to the question of how we get anything at all…….FAITH.

And to further make the point, Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9,

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Abraham was credited righteousness even though there wasn’t even a law to follow yet. How? Faith. Read Hebrews or Genesis, it’s all there.

For some reason this has really bothered me. I saw the sign about 4 1/2 hours ago and I can’t get it out of my head. I think the reason is because of what that first verse up there says (Galatians 5:1). “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…” He did not set us free to go back into a different kind of slavery. We are not to trade one type for another, which is what some churches try to do to people. Read the second half of verse 1, “…and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Paul was writing this letter to the believers in Galatia because “Christian” leaders were trying to attach all kinds of rules and regulations to the people’s salvation: Faith + ______.

Paul wrote Galatians to put the kibosh on this teaching. That is deceitful and manipulative teaching, and churches have been using that tactic for thousands of years. I pray that we as believers can truly live in freedom. God did not just save us from something bad. He saved us to something better. God did not just deliver the Israelites and leave them in the desert to rot. He delivered them from slavery to the promise land. Please don’t let anyone put a yoke of slavery back on you. Or, like Paul fears in Galatians 4:11, someone wasted time in preaching salvation to you to begin with.

Back to the church sign. Maybe the church sign was simply a conversation starter: put there to get the drivers-by to ask questions. Somehow I doubt it. I pray that it will change here soon back to something less controversial…..to me at least.

Please comment on what you’ve read here. If you agree or disagree, let me know why. I’d love the feedback.

royb

Well, 2 1/2 years later I’m still riding.

As I began doing longer rides and bigger group rides, two things became very obvious: I had to learn how to ride in a group and how to refuel as I rode. Paul, the bike shop owner, talked with me for a long time, numerous times, and I got the gist of it, but I still felt like something was off. He said I had to learn how to eat on a bike and how to pull (lead) on a bike.

His solution, which was fantastic and Biblical (but he doesn’t know that part) was for me to follow him. He told me to ride with him and when he eats I eat, when he drinks I drink, and when he points out something on the road, I need to take notice and learn to spot it as well.

Paul knew that talking was good but probably not the best way of communicating, so he took time out of his very busy day to literally teach me how to ride a bike properly.

On these rides, and there were a couple, I learned how to signal for a pedestrian, how to tell someone I’m slowing down, how to tell someone I’m passing someone else, how to slow down without out causing a sudden stop for the guy right on my wheel. But he also showed me how often to drink and eat and how to do it efficiently, without losing momentum. I also learned how to draft properly and how far away to be from the tire in front of me, and I learned where to draft (echelon) when the wind is blowing.

Everyone can learn these things in time by riding with groups and picking up little stuff here and there, but Paul wanted me to be the best rider I could be and the best way to do that was to have me follow him and do what he did.

It’s a Biblical Principle

God put Adam and Eve on earth and had a glorious, personal relationship with them, and they sinned. God has been trying to reestablish that relationship ever since. Through Noah, after the flood, then Abraham and then Moses with the commandments, He has given us every chance to be the people He created from the beginning. But we kept turning our backs on God and put how other people see us over our true identity. (i.e. Pharisees and Sadducees)

So, God sent His only son to earth to be the sacrificial lamb, the perfect sacrifice. And in doing so, Jesus lived on earth for 33 years dealing with heartache, abandonment, chastisement, loneliness and loved ones being sick. And through all of that, He taught (showed) us how to handle situations. And if that wasn’t enough, when he went back up to the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to live inside of us to teach and guide us along the way.

Not only do we have the Bible to tell us what God has for us, we also have a guide that is with us 24/7 showing us as well.

Well, like I said, my bike friend Paul was teaching me a Biblical principle and didn’t even know it. If I will allow God to mold me and shape me into the person He created me to be, I will learn much faster and perhaps skip a lot of mistakes.

If I simply do as what I see Jesus do and act the way Jesus acted, I’ll be fine. And how do I know what Jesus does and how He acted…..read the Bible.

royb

Well, today they re-paved that road and it is no longer the worst part of my ride. Now, when I turn onto Pine Street, I won’t cringe at the thought of climbing that little hill.

And that got me to thinking. It’s the little things sometimes that mean the most. It’s a tiny paved road or the correct height on the seat or having a friend ride with you that you haven’t seen in awhile.

Next time you’re having a rough ride just take a minute and enjoy some of the little things that have happened along the way.

As for the spiritual aspect of this devotion, I’ll let you decide how that affects your relationship with Christ. Leave a comment if you think of something good. I’d love for others to see it.

royb

A couple of weeks ago, I rode from Tryon, NC up to Saluda, NC.  I left from a parking lot near Tryon and rode a few hours up to Saluda and then took the express down –a seven mile fast descent. And, from the time I left the parking lot heading up the mountain, it was at least an hour and half before I saw another person, and it was a fellow cyclist going the other direction. I didn’t know this guy and will never see him again, but for a brief moment, we had something in common: a love of pushing ourselves to exertion and throwing up (I mean, cycling).

More often than not, when you ride somewhere out of the ordinary, you will see very few people; and the ones that you do see, you will feel a strange connection with. During another ride recently, the Tour de Cure here in Columbia, I somehow ended up between groups of riders. I spent nearly two hours riding by myself, which is somewhat daunting on a ride like that because the route usually is unfamiliar to you. But, I remember how relieved I was when I finally came up on some riders at a rest stop.

If you ride at a park or in a busy downtown area where everyone goes, you will more than likely see many, many people along the way. That’s because it is probably an easy, flat ride that is good for every type of rider. When you step out and do something different or harder, like a century or mountain ride, then the number of people you see will be considerably less, and at times, nonexistent.

Our walk with God is much the same way. As we try to follow Him and lead a holy life, we will only occasionally run into someone going the same way. Unfortunately, most people sitting on the pew beside you, or singing in the choir, are living in a comfortable little world that they’ve built, and they try very hard to keep it from getting disturbed. And if that is you, then so be it. But, if you feel like God is calling you to more. To reach more. To say more. To do more. To see more. To be more. Then, as you travel that road, use the people that God sends you as a time of refreshing, an oasis.

It can get lonely on that road sometimes, just remember to keep going. Just over the next hill could be someone to ride with you and be your friend along the way.

royb

Every once in awhile you read a story that touches a part of you deep inside. Currently, February 18, 2009, there is a story on the front page of ESPN.com College Basketball section about a Clemson basketball player named Tanner Smith. I follow Clemson basketball very closely and I’ve watched this true freshman play this year and he has a great shot.  Having said that, that isn’t what the story in ESPN is about. It’s about his and his family’s charity to cancer patients.

Dana O’neil from ESPN writes:

The fourth-grade creative assignment was pretty straightforward: If I Had Three Wishes.

Kathy smiled as she read the first item on her son’s bucket list: a golden retriever. Ever since he met a slobbering canine friend across the street, Tanner

had been hounding his parents for a puppy. But with the holidays closing in, his parents already had warned him: Don’t bother asking Santa for a dog.

His second wish was to play professional basketball, hardly a surprise for a young jock like Tanner, who spent his time shuffling between the football fields, baseball diamonds and basketball courts in his Alpharetta, Ga., community

It was the third item that made Kathy stop.

“To make kids with cancer laugh,” Tanner wrote in his 9-year-old scrawl.

I don’t want to give away anymore of the story, so you need to go and read it for yourself. If you are prone to tearing up, have Kleenex handy. This story will remind you that there still is a lot of good left in people. Also, if you feel like giving to this awesome organization, you can visit it at www.tannerstotes.com

royb

In a professional race every rider is there for a reason. Some will lead a breakout, some will pull up a mountain, some will win a sprint. Everyone has a role to play. But the guy who I admire most is the one who pulls with all that he has, gives every thing he’s got –to the point of utter exhaustion– just so the leader can jump out on a 200 yard sprint to the end and win.

Next time a race is on TV watch the final mile and you’ll see rider after rider pull with everything in them and then move aside so another rider can do it, then another, then another. But if you watch these riders after they pull aside, they are done, there is nothing left in the tank. Why? Because they understand a very important principal in cycling as well as life: The team is more important than the individual.

That’s it. You see, when Lance Armstrong won it wasn’t just him, it was the entire Discovery Team that won. Last year, when Carlos Sastre won, the entire team won.

In our churches, if we could grasp that concept, imagine the possibilities. Imagine a church where everyone understood they played a role. Imagine a church where the janitor realized he was as vital as the worship leader. Imagine a church where the pastor and elder and Sunday school teacher all knew that without the other, something is missing. In cycling, the team comes first. In a local church congregation, we have to get out of the “me” mentality and realize that the church body comes before the individual.

So whatever role you play, be it worship leader or greeter or the one who pours the communion juice into those little cups, you are vital to the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

Jesus is the head of the church. He is the one who is magnified and He is the one we lift up and celebrate, but as a congregation, if we could lift up His name as ONE BODY, the possibilities are endless.

royb

Of course not, look around. There is mainstream media everywhere taking pock shots at Jesus and God and the Bible and…well…all of it.

So, what is the difference? Why are people so scared of offending one religion over another? Is that religion better? Are they afraid the Muslims will retaliate in someway? What is it?

Most Americans aren’t Muslim, so why is everyone so sensitive towards them?

Why is Christianity the proverbial “red-headed-step-child” when it comes to being picked on?

Do you want my thought? Christianity doesn’t scare anyone because it has become impotent.

That’s right….IMPOTENT.

Why should the media, pundits, journalists or critics care whether or not they offend the Christians? What are they gonna do? The answer is: Nothing. They will mope and complain, but in the end, Christians will say, “you know what, I don’t care.”

We as believers, have let the one and only power to change the world become a “Jesus is my Homeboy” hat.

Where is the power? Where are the believers willing to take a stand against what is right and wrong? Where are the King Davids and his fighting men?

Tell me, please……where are they?

Who runs your church? And if that sounds like a trick question it isn’t. Think about it…is it the elders? The Pastor? The Deacons? The Board? Your family? The Family that has been there the longest? The family with their name on the Activity Center? The Guy who bought the pews?

I know of churches that have imploded because of who wanted to control the church.

A church here in South Carolina has all but folded because of the issue of control. There is a contingency in this particular church that wants to run everything, and I mean with an Iron Fist, to the point that they feel they should have more control than the pastor and the official board.

So as usual, that got me to thinking…who runs the church?

I know some churches have elders that give leadership and the pastor comes and goes every few years. In some churches the pastor more or less runs the church and he appoints the elders, deacons and board. Some churches have the congregation vote on the pastor and deacons and some churches have the pastor voted in by the board only; and then the pastor appoints his deacons or elders.

I tend to agree with churches that keep the congregation from voting –find where people were voted on in the Bible.

But none of that has anything to do with who runs the church. Those methods are simply how the leadership is established and maintained. The answer to who runs your church is –drum roll please– Jesus Christ. Or at least that is who SHOULD run your church.

Does that sound like an oversimplification? It should.

What makes you think it is your church anyway? Even if you did buy the pews, the chandelier, the pulpit and paid to have the carpet installed. Even if your great-great-great granddaddy was the founding member. Even if your name is on the sign out front. Tell me what that has to do with running the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. What on God’s green earth possessed you to think that you are in control of the kingdom of God?

To the best of my recollection, –I’m 35 so my memory hasn’t left quite yet– isn’t the church called the Bride of Christ? Isn’t that what He is coming back for when He returns? And isn’t your church part of being that bride? Aren’t we as believers all part of the same church? And isn’t that God’s church? Didn’t he say that He would build His church? In Matthew did He not say, “and upon this rock I will build my church?”

So keep your grubby little manipulative hands off of it. Stop hindering the work Jesus is doing on earth. Stop causing visitors to not want to come. Stop forming cliques –(def) cliques: a group of people who are friendly with each other but exclude others.

The church is having enough problems with pastors leaving the pulpit because of infidelity and embezzlement. Don’t add to it by being controlling, manipulative, spiteful and overbearing.

I also seem to recall Jesus had his harshest criticism for those who were supposed to be leaders in the church. He railed against those who should have known better but acted holier-than-thou and treated people like crap.

Now I don’t expect this letter to change you. This letter is strictly a warning that God and His church are moving forward with or without you. If you choose to keep thinking you are in charge then I feel sorry for you, because you are about to get left behind. Believers are starting to take a stand against the sins in the church, of which you are a big part. How can we expect to be a blessing to those who don’t know Christ if we can’t even get along with our fellow believers?

Listen, I’m on your side. I understand the tradition of it all. My family has been a big part of the history of my church –heck, the denomination here in Columbia, SC. But that does not give you or I the right to inflict our way on the leadership of the church.

So stop stabbing the pastor in the back. Stop spreading rumors about he pastor’s wife. Stop telling members to withhold their support. Stop, Stop, Stop.

Do yourself and the church a favor. Take a sabbatical. Go on vacation — for months. Give it a rest. And while you are on sabbatical from church, reevaluate what you are doing. Think about the consequences of your sin, and yes it is a sin. We all have sins. Whether it is pornography, being a drunk, or spreading rumors about the pastor to get him removed, sin is sin.

There is probably much you can offer the church. You’ve been through a lot. You’ve seen things the younger generations haven’t. You’ve weathered the storms. Take that knowledge, mix it with a heaping of humility and love and share it with others. It is time to stop being a cranky old fart and actually begin building others up instead of tearing them down.

Sincerely,

Someone who loves you. But more importantly, someone who love Jesus and doesn’t want to see His church destroyed from the inside out.

This book was different; not in a bad way, just different.

It was essentially about us, as believers, listening to each other and not getting hung up on our personal agendas. Believe me, we all have them.

Don’t believe me? Look at this election…Palin is adored by us southerners because she stands for all of the right things: she’s against abortion and gay marriage. As soon as we heard that we were happy.

Before you go crazy, the reverse is true as well. There are people here in the south and else where who will vote for Obama because he is against the war, not caring that he is pro-abortion and for gay marriage, even though they are personally against it.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is something to be said for letting your morals determine your candidate, but we tend to get hung up on things and ignore stuff that is just as important.

This book talks about some really hard stuff. It is a book of interviews: interviews with people on the street, interviews with famous people, interviews with controversial people. One of the interviews is with a transvestite nun.

I found this book fascinating because even though the writer is a believer, rarely does he give his opinion. He conducts interviews and expects us readers to make up our own minds about how to process the information we just read.

Here in the south it seems, at times, that you can beat your wife and kids, not pay taxes and shoot someone, and as long as you are against abortion and gay marriage then you’re fine. I am exaggerating, but not by much. We tend to lose focus on all of the other ’sins’ that are committed by people. We prioritize sin; and as long as it isn’t one of the two biggies then hey, it will work out.

Lord Save Us From Your Followers was a book that forced me to reevaluate how I look at certain things. Am I caught up in the right vs wrong (republican vs democrat) mentality? The left coast seems to be convinced that Republicans are racist, backwards, uneducated, money-hungry, step on poor people, wife-beaters. All of us in the south assume Democrats are liberal, trees-are-more-important-than-people, baby killing, free sex for all, there is no such thing as sin, weirdos. And I’m talking about inside the church.

True story. Eight years ago, when Bush was running against Gore, I saw a car that had two bumper stickers on it, “Bush/Cheney” and “God is My Co-Pilot”. In the front yard, where the car was, was a Bush/Cheney sign. I talked with the lady next door, who had a Gore/Lieberman sign out front, and she said, “no self-respecting Methodist would ever vote for a Republican.”

Now explain to me how two “Christians,” who I assume are strong believers, can be so diametrically opposed to each other when it comes to politics? I understand a believer and non-believer being on opposite ends. But what makes the terms Republican and Democrat send people over the edge. Bible believing, God-fearing people.

Shouldn’t we as “Christians” be above that mess? Do all Methodists vote for Democrats only? If so, why? Do all Baptists vote Republican? Again, if so, why?

This actually leads me to another Book I have been asked to review. It is called How Would Jesus Vote and will be out soon, if it isn’t already. I can’t wait to read it and get their perspective on all of this.

My fascination this election isn’t with Obama vs McCain, but with the Democratic Christian vs the Republican Christian. Who will win?

As for the book, I would recommend it. It is both thought-provoking and infuriating at times. Read it, like the last one I talked about, with an open mind. Open to understanding how someone thinks and why.

As for the Christian vs Christian battle: I guess we’ll see in November.

I didn’t remember enough of it exactly to quote him but I got the gist of it.

He was referring to CEOs, corporate mucky mucks, athletes and anyone else who has achieved a high level of success:

You can either take a chance and not be afraid to fail, or you can sit idle, just get by, and live a mediocre existence. Those that succeed are the ones who step out of their comfort zones and try something new or different.

Oddly enough that is a great way to describe our walk with God. If we are just pew sitters, then there isn’t much we’ll ever accomplish. There won’t be a single person reached for the the kingdom of God if we aren’t willing to set aside our fears, step out of our comfort zone and try something new.

We have to be willing to get uncomfortable; to get wet. In Joshua Chapter 3:13-16 God says:

And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing… (NIV)

God did not part the water until the priests were willing to step into the water. Think about. You’re the priest and God says he’ll part the water for you and your people to cross. If you are like me, you are thinking, “thank you, let me see the water start parting and then we’ll walk across.” But that isn’t how it happened. He told the priests to take a step and then the water would part. Rephrased like this: get out of your comfort zone, trust me to do something you can’t and I’ll do the rest.

When was the last time you tried something only God could do?

According to my sports radio guy, we have to stop being afraid of failure in order to succeed. We can’t let our human emotions and fear of rejection stop us from doing what God has called us to do. If He has given you an idea or vision then step out in faith and do it. What is the worse that could happen.

Let’s say you fail, so what? You tried and it didn’t work. O.k… then try something else.

What’s worse than failure? Dying without ever even giving it a try.

There is obviously a difference in trying something you feel God is calling you to do and just being foolish. Weigh it against two things: The Word of God and someone you trust. If both line up and you are just scared it might not work then get up off of your butt and do it. The kingdom of God needs you. Those who are lost and going to hell everyday need you. Those believers who are losing their faith each and every day need you.

Please, take the talents, gifts and visions all of you have been given and start walking them out. Develop your talent. Discover and utilize your gift. Write your vision so that the people may run with it.

What if Martin Luther had been too scared…

What if Moses had been too scared…

In Conclusion

What would you do if you weren’t scared it would fail?