2002 Devotion 22

{WELCOME}

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GALATIANS 4:3-5 "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

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I once heard a young minister deliver a sermon titled, "Bondage To Sin." In his sermon, he told a story about a man who went into a pet store and bought all the little birds that were being kept in cages. Because the kind hearted man could not bear to see the tiny creatures caged up, he took them to a nearby park and set them all "free." The young preacher then ended his speech with the invitation to, "come and let Jesus set you free from bondage." His thought was good but his story did not fit his sermon. He did not stop to think about what happened to the birds AFTER they had been released. They did not know how to take care of themsleves. They needed someone to feed them. They also needed a controlled environment. What would they do when winter came; if, indeed, they survived until winter?

Romans 8:15 says, "Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption." The bondage of a Christian is much like the bondage of a pet bird that has been bought and taken home by a loving family. Paul called himself "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" in Ephesians 3:1. A prisoner is one who is kept in custody. Just as a bird is kept in custody and cared for by someone who "adopts" it, so is a Christian. Each is in bondage to a loving, caring master. Without that bondage, they would starve and die.

Who are you in bondage to? No one is really free! We all 'belong' to someone. I would much rather belong in the hands of a loving, caring Father than to live in sin and be in bondage to Satan!

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THE CANARY

As I peered through the window of the pet shop,
The canary in it's cage saddened me.
So tiny, yet so cheerful, in it's little cage;
I thought, "This happy creature should be free."

I went inside and asked, "How much?"
The man asked, "Cage as well?"
I said, "No, I'll set it free."
He said, "It's not for sale."

He said, "It is my favorite bird.
I love to hear it's song.
But if you set it free you see,
It won't be very long,

'Till it will die for it cannot
Survive outside it's cell.
So if you buy it you must buy
A cage for it as well."