How do you filter the information you receive? Today we love in an age where there is limitless information at our fingertips.  Often we hear contradictory messages about the same things.  How do we filter that and determine what is true or right?  Believe it or not this has always been an issue even back in biblical times.  Paul writes his letter to the Galatian church because of this exact issue.  People are telling the church things about faith that are contrary to what Paul taught them.  Let’s look at his words in Galatians 4 together today.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. 12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Paul is making his case and for his full argument I encourage you to read the entirety of the book or at least all of chapter 4.  The issue boils down to people wanting to add things on to faith.  Paul is pleading with them to hold on to the truth of his teachings to them.  This is a good principle for us to follow when we filter messages today.  The Bible should be the tool we use to filter with.  Do the messages we receive fit into the teachings of the Bible or are they contrary to that? Do the teachings and example of Jesus fit into the worldviews that we sometimes embrace?  This should be our tool for the vast information that we receive on a daily basis and the only way to use that tool is to know it.  To read and study God’s word so that we have it readily available in our lives.  I pray that we might all take advantage of this amazing resource that God has given us.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave