SCRIPTURE

Galatians 1:4 and 2 Timothy 3:1–5 (NASB95)

Who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father… But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.

COWBOY WISDOM

Every rancher who's worked river bottom land has pulled a cow out of a bog at least once. She wanders down for water, sinks a leg into soft mud, and panics — and the more she thrashes, the deeper she settles, until she's stuck to the belly and bawling. She cannot save herself. The harder she fights alone, the worse it gets. What she needs is a rider with a good rope horse and a lot of patience, somebody to loop her and drag her out onto solid ground while she does the one useful thing left to her: quit fighting the rope.

That's the picture behind Paul's words to the Galatians — Christ "gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age." Not so we could climb out ourselves with a little help. Rescued. The evil that Paul describes to Timothy isn't some far-off swamp we can avoid by staying on high ground — lovers of self, lovers of money, treacherous, reckless, holding to a form of godliness while denying its power. That's the mud of an entire age, and every one of us has felt a boot sink into it. Struggling harder against it in our own strength has never once pulled anybody free.

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). The cow in the bog doesn't get credit for the rope. She gets to stand on dry ground because somebody came looking for her, roped her, and had the strength to pull. That's mercy, not a transaction, and it's exactly what Christ did for us — He rode into the bog Himself.

There's a warning worth heeding here too. Isaiah wrote, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). Part of staying rescued is refusing to wade back toward the mud and call it solid ground. Once Christ has pulled you free, don't go relabeling the bog as a nice place to graze.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• Second Timothy 3 lists warning signs of a difficult culture. Which of these do you notice creeping into your own heart, and not just "out there" in the world around you?
• Like the bogged cow, we can't free ourselves from sin by struggling harder. Where have you been trying to fight your way free instead of letting Christ pull you out?
• Isaiah warns about calling evil good and good evil. Where might you be tempted to soften that line in your own thinking or conversations?
• What would it look like this week to actually rest in being rescued, rather than living like you're still stuck in the mud?

PRAYER FOCUS

Father, I confess there are places in my life where I've been struggling instead of letting You pull me free. Thank You for sending Your Son to rescue me from this evil age, not because I deserved it, but because of Your mercy. Sharpen my eyes to see evil for what it is, and keep me from calling it by a softer name. Set my feet on solid ground today. In Jesus' name, Amen.