Galatians 4:11-12 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
Lead to Victory
Perhaps the two times surrounding camp that contrast most with each other are the last night of camp and the ride home on the church bus. The last night of camp is a high point. God has worked in hearts; people are excited; young people are wide awake. And then you’ve got the bus ride back home. It can often be a long, boring trip. This is the time when people worry that the decisions at camp will not continue to last in the following routines of life. I think the adults who bring young people to camp, the church counselors, wonder, “Will decisions from camp last?” That is a valid question, and I believe that it’s a question that Paul would probably have wondered as well if he were here today.
In Galatians 4, Paul speaks of people in whom he had invested much. In verse 11 he says, “I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.” Most of us do not mind working or expending energy, but none of us want to waste those resources of life. How do such workings of God last?
The way to see whom you are discipling go on to victory is to lead them there yourself. In verse 12, Paul addresses his own concern, “Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am…” Paul was a Jewish man, but he had put aside everything he had put his hope in and depended completely in God’s Jewish Messiah, the Savior of the entire world both Jew and Gentile. The way to help others be where they need to be is to lead them there by your example.
We lead people in two ways: by the work of the Son and by the power of the Spirit. In verse 4 Paul says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.” Jesus is better than a law. Jesus is better than a custom. Jesus is better than tradition. Jesus Christ has the power to save sinners and to transform their lives. We lead by example by the work of the Son, not merely by the labor we invest in others.
We also lead by the power of the Spirit. In verse 6 he says, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into yours hearts, crying, Abba Father.” Jesus is our Savior; God Almighty is our Father; and the Spirit of God is our Comforter. Whoever you are trying to invest in today, make sure you invest in them by leading with example.