A man named Paul wrote this to his friends in Philippi. This is a great secret that people as a whole miss. The world of advertising don’t want you to be content because they try and create a continuous feeling of discontent in one’s life. Your life will only be complete if you have this product or that product. As a result if you ask people what is contentment the common answer is believe it or not “I don’t know!”

What has this got to do with me a biker?  you ask. Well if you are a Biker living in Ireland like those in the picture believe me you have learnt one thing. Rarely will you go for a spin and not get wet! So if you live here you will have learned to be content that you have to bring your wet gear or get soaked. But does the rain have to take away the enjoyment of going for a spin with the lads on the bikes? If it does you haven’t learned contentment.

True contentment can only be found in Christ Jesus. Because only he can satisfy every need we have. But that starts off another whole debate. What do I need? versus What do I want?  One of the lads in the gang believes he needs to change the handlebars on his bike. We are on the fourth set now some ape hangers! Ask him are you content? The hesitation in his reply is enough! He doesn’t know what he wants!! As for his needs the bike just needs a set of handle bars – the first set were fine!

My wife on reading this stated  “Well what is the point in trying to better oneself? What is the purpose in making any effort if we are content with where we are at?” Contentment is not about striving or not striving, bothering or not bothering to better one’s position. Contentment is knowing the foundation we have in Christ that it I achieve my goals or fail. If I have much or little. If I am barely surviving or living in affluence. If I was living in affluence but am now only surviving.  My Heavenly Father loves me, cares for me, provides for me, meets my every need … outside of that everything else is simply a blessing on top of that foundation.

Next time you are out riding in the rain ask yourself “am I content?” what answer comes to mind….

Well we all know the answer to that question. It is a simple “no.” But the ability to change is very difficult even for those of us who do have a choice. It is now the beginning of March so let us reflect on the New Year’s resolutions that were made. “I must lose weight!” “I will quit smoking” “ I must finish building that bike that is scattered all over my shed” “ I must join the gym.”

All Good intentions but nothing has changed. Maybe for a week or two but now we have given up. Just like the leopard who can’t change his spots – change is not in our nature. We are creatures of habit.  Promises made promises broken and we either continue to hurt ourselves or those around us by our continued failings. The best of intentions are in tatters and the hurt goes on for the ones we love. The bike remains scattered around the shed after that one week burst. The weight has gone up not down and we think the scales has the problem. The Gym has our membership fee in the bank as we resume our previous lifestyle as a couch potato. Sound familiar?

Yet we fool ourselves by telling ourselves the same lie – I can change! You know you are fooling nobody but yourself. You can change but only when we get the power to change. That – power – is Jesus Christ. I know I have changed but I couldn’t change myself. He is the Power to change as the slogan stated a few years back. The leopard …. Well he is stuck being a leopard. You can change if you really want to. Give your life to Jesus Christ and He will change you from the inside out. Everybody in the Unchained Gang has changed because Jesus Christ is doing the changing and for the better. Do you really want to change? That is the question. If you do why don’t you make the first move? It’s in your hands. Your destiny is not that of the Leopard you can change …… Can’t you?

I have been pondering something of late and so my blog has been neglected. The subject of my pondering has been both surrender and submission. Now both of these are terms any real man claims he will never do. But here is the irony of the whole thing I reckon it is something we all continually do….daily   !

You see is surrender really only raising a white flag and marching out unarmed to place yourself at the fate of the enemy? Or is surrender the laying down of one’s ideals and goals to an opposing cause for the “greater good” even if it is on the same team?

However submission is closely related here and again the irony of it is that no matter how much as men we pride ourselves on being our own man we submit to the rules and powers that be, regardless of which MM, MC, MCC, MA or whatever it may be we belong too. And that is just the bike world!

So here is Your reality …(regardless of one’s position)… if you are a member of a bike gang with any of the above letters on it you have surrendered your ideals, placed them at the feet of the president and his team. Then you have submitted to the authority of the club! Don’t believe me? Well, try go against them and see what the outcome may be. But then if you won’t because of fear maybe it is subjection you are under….?

So in conclusion yes I do believe that as men we surrender and submit even on a daily basis but the joy of being involved with a Christian motorcycle gang is this the Lord Jesus is The President with a capital T. Surrender and submission to Him may not always be easy but you know it is for YOUR best! I hope you can say the same wherever you find yourself. Why not think it over… 

The motorbike world is no different it’s all about belonging, being one of the gang, riding with the pack……  So is my wife right? In regard to the Unchained Gang? I guess she is but what causes us to rally together? To hang out together? Ride together? Be there for one another – that tribal belonging within the Irish chapter?

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST… That is the answer. That is the connection for us. But if Vicky has us men sussed well what causes you to belong? What connects you….  I guess you know…don’t you!

A member of the Unchained Gang wears the words “Servants of Jesus Christ” so here is a thought becoming president means one should be the greatest servant within the gang (therefore I fail)! Now in human terms that’s crazy…. Surely being president means being top dog not being the bottom of the heap.

But here is the thought…  Jesus Christ well now He was is and always will be Lord of lords and King of kings and yet took on the very nature of a servant ……. Put Himself in a position of servitude …… Why?

Look in the mirror and you’ll see why …..You are why!  So who am I? One who aspires to walk in the footsteps of He to whom my knee bows and my tongue confesses is Lord.