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Tangled in the World
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.”
Galatians 5:1–3
In April of 2016 the crew of a fishing and sightseeing boat was scouting the waters not far off the coast of California. They were looking for whales or other large marine animals when they spotted a large leatherback sea turtle that was struggling, entangled in a large mass of kelp. One of the crew members who had grown up in Hawaii and whose family often rescued turtles there jumped into the water and cut the seaweed from around the turtle’s flippers. Released from the restrictions, the turtle dove and swam rapidly away.
The freedom that God gives to us as His children is not a license to do whatever we choose, but the liberty to do what He has commanded. When we wallow in the things of the world, seeking our pleasure and meaning outside of God’s will, we may think that we are free, but in truth we are simply entangled by the deceitfulness of sin—and our walk will be hindered. The things God calls and commands us to do cannot be done while sin restricts our mobility.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). The allure of sin during the moment of temptation obscures the chains that always follow. We need to be mindful of our high calling and purpose as God’s children and not be entangled with sin.
Galatians 5:1–3
In April of 2016 the crew of a fishing and sightseeing boat was scouting the waters not far off the coast of California. They were looking for whales or other large marine animals when they spotted a large leatherback sea turtle that was struggling, entangled in a large mass of kelp. One of the crew members who had grown up in Hawaii and whose family often rescued turtles there jumped into the water and cut the seaweed from around the turtle’s flippers. Released from the restrictions, the turtle dove and swam rapidly away.
The freedom that God gives to us as His children is not a license to do whatever we choose, but the liberty to do what He has commanded. When we wallow in the things of the world, seeking our pleasure and meaning outside of God’s will, we may think that we are free, but in truth we are simply entangled by the deceitfulness of sin—and our walk will be hindered. The things God calls and commands us to do cannot be done while sin restricts our mobility.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). The allure of sin during the moment of temptation obscures the chains that always follow. We need to be mindful of our high calling and purpose as God’s children and not be entangled with sin.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The snares of sin are not easy to see up front, but they are real—and need to be avoided.
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