TWO KINDS OF TROUBLE

 

Friday, October 28, 2022

 

TWO KINDS OF TROUBLE

 

Gal 1:6-8

¶ 6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

 

Gal 6:17

17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

 

          I hesitate to label a devotional with the word trouble both because it most often causes the reader to immediately misunderstand the mood and abandon the journey. I also like smooth things. The early morning rain whispers comfortable phrases and the still-warm coffee at my side comforts me. I avoid trouble, if at all possible, but please join me in a short walk with the apostle Paul.

 

          The Galatians had ventured away from the pure Gospel. The result was a Samaritan-like blend of Judaism and Christianity. They tried to mix the oil of the Spirit with the vinegar of the flesh. This is impossible without a vigorous shaking.

 

          Paul was grieved at the suddenness and the willingness of the Galatians to return to bondage. He used the word thaumazo, “to wonder at an improbable thing.” The concept of such a departure from truth was shocking.

 

          Some had troubled this church. In this first use of the word “trouble” Paul selects the Greek word tarasso which means “to agitate.” The idea is to incite a riot and to instill an emotion in someone who would not have felt such a passion on his own. The idea is that one or a few troublemakers had produced in them something they did not freely own.

 

          At the end of this letter, Paul selects a different word for trouble. It is the Greek word kopos and literally means “to drain one’s strength.” Finally, Paul said, “leave me alone and stop draining my strength”. He had identified their problem and had offered a solution. He could advise them but could not act for them. This they must do themselves. It was exhausting and he was frankly weary of it.

 

          One can almost feel Paul’s disgust and disappointment in the church in which he had so carefully labored. Nevertheless, his last prayer for them was for GRACE or charis which is the divine influence upon the heart with a reflection in the life. “May God work in you and produce the necessary changes which you lack.”

 

Gal 6:9

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 

Dear Lord, spiritual battle is exhausting. Please fill us with your grace. Work in us that there might be a resulting change. AMEN