Galatians 4:8-11 | Enslaved Again

As we had addressed the problem of Israel and their desire to draw back to Egypt, we must confront the possibility of returning to slavery. Perhaps we need to be confronted by the very questions Paul asks. I am writing these devotions under the very assumption that you know God and God knows you. When you look upon your life and you see the patterns of your life, are you adopting the patterns that Christ has laid out for you? Or are you re-adopting the patterns that originally carried you from Christ?

I recently watched a video on a particular individual's fitness journey. They had started out over 500 pounds. In a lifestyle led by sloth and gluttony, they lacked self-control. Finally, after enough bad doctor visits they determined to do something different. They changed their lifestyle. They ate different foods, ate less food, and began working out. They genuinely were loving the new lifestyle. Eventually, they got to the goal they set out for. But that changed everything. Having arrived at that point, they then flipped and went right back to the old habits. The rationale went something like this, "Because I am no longer 500 pounds, these snacks aren't so bad." But the long formed pattern resurrected the old muscle memory. It wasn't long before they were right back to where they started.

For fear of making this appear about works, I won't use the above analogy too liberally, but I do want to stress a point. The way that the person above would have maintained their health was to maintain the practices they started with. In a similar vein, we are to maintain our walk by the way we started, by grace through faith.'

I encourage you to take an honest look at your life. The Lord has called you out of things and has called to refine things in your life. Are you cultivating those old patterns or a new way of living? Be honest and consider it in prayer before the Lord. What does He desire for you?