From Blueprint For Life
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito of
Japan officially surrendered. World War II had finally come to an end and
people around the globe celebrated a return to more peaceful times.
However, on a small island in the
Philippines, four Japanese soldiers continued to fight.
They spent their days hiding in the
mountains and conducting guerrilla attacks, eventually killing over thirty
people. No one could have anticipated how long they would continue fighting a
war that had already been won.
One day, they found a leaflet announcing
the end of the war but dismissed it as allied propaganda. Five years passed
before one of the four surrendered. Four years later, one of the soldiers was
shot and killed. The two remaining soldiers continued their mission for the
next seventeen years, until one of them was killed in a shootout with local
police.
Hiroo Onada, the final remaining solder,
refused to give up until his commanding officer was found and brought to the
island to fulfill the promise made in 1944, “Whatever happens, we’ll come back
for you.”
Onada fought 30 years longer than he needed
to, in a war that had been over for decades. This is a picture of the reality
that Paul describes in Galatians 5:1:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not
let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Because of Christ, freedom is now. So
often, we live like freedom is coming later, at some far-off date in the future.
Unfortunately, for this reason we often choose to fight a battle that has
already been won. Paul continues in Galatians 5:4-5. . .
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from
Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly
await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.
The Galatians initially embraced the
message of grace. But over time they returned to their former habit of
measuring their righteousness based on how well they observed the law. They
were fighting a war that was already won. This was a trap. Once Christ sets us
free, it is our choice to continue in the freedom of living by faith in the
power of the Spirit or return to the slavery of trying to earn righteousness by
human effort.
Questions for Reflection
Are you fighting a war that has already
been won by trying to earn favor from God and righteousness through your own
effort?
Digging Deeper?
Look up Philippians 3:9. What does this
scripture say about the true source of righteousness?
Put It Into Action
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal to you if you need to fully
embrace the righteousness that has been given to you through Christ. Next,
write Philippians 3:9 on a notecard and place it where you can see it each day.
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