We are thankful that "Bob" was back with us again tonight in the meeting. He testified that he had never been to a church where he felt more accepted and loved. He also said that he knew that we were not judging him and that he felt like he could contribute without repercussions. Our prayer is that God would help him in every way that he stands in need of and that we can be a little part of that help.

Tonight, we discussed Galatians 5. In particular, we talked at length about the following two verses:

1.   5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

2    5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

In the past three years we have found a liberty that we have never experienced in the Institutionalized church. Words cannot describe the manner in which God has enriched our hearts with truth and understanding. As the song says "Glorious freedom! Wonderful freedom! ... Jesus the glorious Emancipator — Now and forever He shall be mine."

But everyone is not happy with our new found freedom. Some people are not happy and the devil is certainly not happy. He will do everything to take our freedom and bring us back again to the yoke of bondage. One way he tries to steal our freedom is to get us to fall into the ditches of either legalism or lawlessness. The way of salvation is straight and narrow, but there are ditches on both sides of this way.

The brethren in Galatia found themselves in a situation in which some were causing the saints to fall back into the bondage of the Law. Paul dealt directly with the troubling issue at hand, namely circumcision. Through his spiritual gifting, he was able to help the people and he particularly noted that he had confidence that after they were instructed, they would do the right thing.

He showed how the enemy was trying to get the saints to come under the spirit of legalism and if they did so, they would be brought back into bondage. If the devil cannot tempt us to compromise on our convictions and standards, he will led us into fanaticism. Either extreme is bondage and we must avoid both ditches.

Thank God for His faithfulness to us. We have found that he who the Son sets free is free indeed! Our desire is to ever be found free in the Lord.

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