Saturday, April 8: Galatians 4- Children of promise.

Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise (28).

What a rich image. Through faith in Jesus Christ we are children of promise. Paul uses the analogy of Esau and Isaac, with Isaac being the child of promise. Esau was a ‘natural child’ born of Abraham and Hagar. However, Isaac was a miracle baby, born of Abraham and Sarah both of whom were old (100 and 90 respectively).  Sarah, as you can understand, was well past child bearing age and yet God allowed them to conceive.  Isaac was the fruit of their union.

Isaac was also the son promised to Abraham through whom God would make a great people, which God did! Isaac was the son through whom God’s promise was realized; hence he is the ‘son of promise.’

The wonder of this passage is that Paul equates us –Gentiles believers –as children of promise. God will use us to fulfill His promise to make disciples in every tribe and language and nation and people. We, as ‘children of promise’, are heirs to God’s kingdom and kingdom blessings.

As children of the King we have a responsibility, too, to live as children of the King and ‘keepers and spreaders’ of the blessings of God to the world. We are not ‘children of promise’ for our own sake… we are ‘children of promise’ to bless the world by our presence, witness and manner of living!

God’s still small voice whispers… “Rise up and live into your promise. Seek Me, the promise keeper, and be about my bidding…”

Hmmm… a challenge for today and all the remaining todays the Lord gives me this side of eternity.

Lord God, giver of promise and blessing, I pray for strength and wisdom to live for You today. And in so doing honoring Your promises which You lavishly and graciously gave to me. Thank You and bless You. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

Friday, April 7: Galatians 3- Importance and power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul poses two questions that he aims at people who are returning to dependence on the law rather than faith in Christ. These questions, it seems to me, also challenge rule driven, ritualistic lifeless Christianity. Paul writes:

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? (2)

So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? (5)

I wonder how many Christians can even make sense of these questions.

Is the ‘receiving of the Holy Spirit’ a part of your Christian faith?

Clearly Paul is speaking about some ‘happening’ in the person’s life to which they can point.  This receiving of the Spirit seems to be more than a momentary happening –whatever that maybe. The second sentence liken the ‘giving of the spirit’ to ‘miracles among you.’

Paul’s understanding of Christianity is far more robust and life changing than many (most) of us experience.

I am wondering this morning… what gives? Why does much of Christianity today seem devoid of the touch by the finger and works of God than it was in Paul’s day?

The difference has to be more than mere theology. Are we so comfortable today in life and in our cultures that we don’t need God’s touch or miracles to live?

Are we so unimpressive in our witness for Jesus that He doesn’t need to show Himself through miracles?

So God has me wondering about powerless Christianity and our lack of need for God’s miraculous workings…

Oh, Lord, I pray for a desire to know You in Your fullness. Increase my need for You. Increase my witness for You.  Increase my desire to see You work in and through me in ways that defy mere human wisdom or skill.  Increase my desire to depend on Your touch, Your works, Your miracles. I love You, Lord God, and I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Thursday, April 6: Galatians 2- Only one way.

We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified (15-16).

There is only one path to freedom, one way of salvation, our faith in Jesus Christ.

There is no way a human being can merit her or his way into God’s good graces. There is nothing we can do, no human pietism that will cause us to be justified before God except faith in Jesus Christ.

It does not matter what our beginnings Jew or Gentile, male or female, northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere, Asian, African, European, American, or Australian, Caucasian, Black, Latino, Asian or mixed, only simple faith in Jesus –no extras needed –brings justification before the righteous and pure God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.

There are times when every person must ask her or himself… is your faith in Jesus, the one thing that gives you hope of right standing before God?

Think about it.

I know I am…

Lord, let me not corrupt perfect faith in Jesus with any sense that something I have done, am doing or will do enhances my ‘chances’ before You. Instead give me strength to cling to Jesus and faith in Jesus alone for my justification and salvation. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

Wednesday, April 5: Galatians 1- What's your journey in Christ been like?.

Paul provides a brief picture of his early years in Christ… time in Arabia, then Damascus. Then he took a two-week trip to Jerusalem to check in with Peter and James. His early years were spent with the Lord.  I wonder what that time was like?  From the book of Acts I know about his time on the Damascus Road and Ananias praying for him (Acts 9).  Then his later travels planting churches.

Reading Paul’s story caused me to ponder mine. We all have a story. And for believers in Jesus our story includes how God brought us to faith in Jesus.

As part of an elder leadership process my church elders and I are completing each of us had to write a spiritual autobiography. Writing my spiritual autobiography took some pondering thought, walking through my life from earliest remembrances to the present day. It included my coming to faith in Jesus but so much more. When I put mine together I chose to write about my early years, my time of conversion and my journey following God’s leading as I grew in my faith in Jesus.

It was a wonderful exercise, I heartily recommend everyone take the time to think through and write out their spiritual autobiography. There were so many places and times that God spoke into my life leading me to my moment of conversion. Then there were many more times after my conversion leading me to where I am today. It is so easy to forget all that God has done; and if not forgotten I easily push them to the side. By taking the time to recall my life and to see the many God-sightings throughout my life was wonderful, encouraging and life giving.

As part of our elder process we each told our spiritual autobiography to the elders at a meeting taking between 20 and 30 minutes each. The months that we told our stories I was touched by every story. God worked with each of us in different yet profound ways through ups and downs, in times of faithfulness and sin.

It was wonderful to hear God’s story in ours. Hearing Paul this morning brought back many of my own encounters with the Lord.

If you haven’t ever taken the time to pondered how you came to faith, then I encourage you to take some time over the next few days to do so…

Thank You, Lord, for my story. For the ways you worked in my life from the moment of my conception till you brought me to faith in Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for the ways You continually work in my life to bring about Your will. I rest in You. Halleluiah. Amen.

 

Tuesday, April 4: Luke 24- God keeps his promise.

Jesus not only predicted His death; astonishingly He predicted His resurrection and the two events are intrinsically linked. If there was no resurrection then His death would have been in vain. He would have become just another big mouth who was silenced by death.

When the women came to the tomb, they met two men who told them, He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’ ” (6-7).

At this they remembered what Jesus had taught them. On two separate occasions Luke 9:22-27 and 18:31-33 Jesus told His people that He would rise again. His resurrection is His vindication. It is the truth indicator of what He taught. If this is real than all He taught is real. If this is not real then could anything He taught be trusted?

And His resurrection prediction was not a secret only His disciples knew. Matthew records that the Jewish leaders all knew what Jesus was teaching about His rising from the dead. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard (Matthew 27:62-66).

With His death and resurrection, God has bridged the gap between human sin and invited people to believe in Jesus.

Do you believe?

I do and this chapter brings life into my heart, mind and soul.

Oh, Lord Jesus, I praise and thank You. You walked that lonely road to Calvary and the grave to prove the point that You are Messiah, God’s redeeming Son. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.

In Your name I pray. Halleluiah. Amen.

 

 

Monday, April 3: Luke 23- To save me and you and all who believe.

Jesus died so that I could be forgiven and redeemed.

Jesus paid my penalty and the penalty for everyone who believes.

To say that Jesus is merely a wonderful teacher is to miss the significance of the end of the Gospels. Jesus came to pay the price we humans could never pay.

To say Jesus is merely a great teacher is to miss the end of the Gospels… His death and eventually His resurrection.

Today I made it a point not to miss the climax of Jesus’ story… His death on the cross. Something He predicted. Jesus is not a victim; He is God’s agent of atonement and salvation…

Thank You, Jesus… thank You. Amen.

 

Saturday, April 1: Luke 22- How quickly things can turn.

Jesus was teaching, crowds were listening, then turn the page and the Passover is celebrated and Jesus is arrested and tried. Just like that things can change.

And things can change within us just like that as well…

During the Passover meal Jesus’ explanation about the cup being poured out for them is barely off His lips when He announces that someone at the table will betray Him. At that the disciples began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this (23). You can almost hear the conversation switch as a chorus of “not me” breaks out among the twelve. How quickly the situation can turn…

But the disciples aren’t done. Their chorus of “not me’s” flips on its head into a braggadocios display of who is the best among them. So heated became the bragging that Luke calls it a dispute. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest (24).

These soon-to-be pillars of the faith dissolve into a petty argument about who is the greatest. What a disappointing moment.

How quickly we can turn from the important to the inane.

How quickly we can go from the sacred to the secular.

How quickly we can dissolve into selfishness to protect self or honor or …

Sadly, in the disciples I see myself and how quickly I can devolve into pettiness!

Oh, God, teach me how to control my sin-filled nature. Give me victory over selfishness and pride, over needing to be best and destroying others –in thought, word or deed –in order to ‘maintain’ my reputation.

Oh, God, make me to be more like the disciples post-Pentecost rather than pre-Crucifixion. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.