“Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”
Galatians 5:2-15 NLT
The book of Galatians is all about how clinging to the Law and trying to be righteous by following it to a “T” totally misses the mark. One would think that since there’s an entire book, along with much of the New Testament that keeps giving this message, that we would finally have this right! Somehow we continue to get all caught up in right living and not sinning to the extent that we start worrying about our salvation. But living some sort of “perfect” or sin free life is not the Good News, in fact that isn’t good news at all!
If salvation is dependent on living without sin in our lives then we’re all doomed. That word always makes me think of the movie Hocus Pocus…”we are doomed!” Ha ha! Jesus came to save us from ourselves, to save us from the hamster wheel of following the Law, failing, making sacrifices to amend and starting over and over and over and over again.
Our God is a God of freedom! God has loved us from the moment we existed and that love has not waned or grown since that moment because it’s not dependent on what we do, it’s dependent on who and Whose we are. I hope you can feel the freedom that comes with that knowledge. I hope you can release and let go of any guilt or shame or consternation you carry for things you’ve done or said or things you continue to struggle with.
This is the Good News…God’s love is so great that we don’t have to DO or NOT DO anything to earn it or keep it. We simply get to accept it and enjoy it, and for some of us, probably many of us, that may take a lifetime to figure out how to do, but let’s keep trying.
Reflection: How easy is it for you to accept God’s love unconditionally? Do you need to let some things go, or quit trying to meet some sort of bar that’s been set?
Prayer: Lord God, we live in a world that does not encourage “something for nothing.” We continually hear messages of who is or isn’t worthy and who is or isn’t deserving. O God, help us to hear Your voice over all the others. Help us to hear and believe the Truth of the Good News, that we are worthy and deserving of all the love You have for us. Forgive us when we listen to the lies. Strengthen and empower us to break down the walls we’ve built that keep us from fully knowing Your love and forgiveness and help us to share that love with others.
Lord, we continue to pray for peace in the world. May fighting cease in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine and Africa and so many other places that experience warring both great and small. We lift up those we know and know of who are struggling in grief, with finances, with illness, in recovery, with mental anguish and emotional turmoil. Lord, You provide all things and we pray for Your provision for all those in need, even ourselves.
God walk with us through our days. As we meet and interact with others, give us Your joy and sense of overflowing love that we might share it and spread it to each one we encounter. Help us to continue to be the salt and the light that You call us to be. In Your name and by Your power we pray, Amen.
Soon I hope to create a new site where I can post alll of my writings and recordings. Stay tuned!
Galatians 5:2-15 NLT
The book of Galatians is all about how clinging to the Law and trying to be righteous by following it to a “T” totally misses the mark. One would think that since there’s an entire book, along with much of the New Testament that keeps giving this message, that we would finally have this right! Somehow we continue to get all caught up in right living and not sinning to the extent that we start worrying about our salvation. But living some sort of “perfect” or sin free life is not the Good News, in fact that isn’t good news at all!
If salvation is dependent on living without sin in our lives then we’re all doomed. That word always makes me think of the movie Hocus Pocus…”we are doomed!” Ha ha! Jesus came to save us from ourselves, to save us from the hamster wheel of following the Law, failing, making sacrifices to amend and starting over and over and over and over again.
Our God is a God of freedom! God has loved us from the moment we existed and that love has not waned or grown since that moment because it’s not dependent on what we do, it’s dependent on who and Whose we are. I hope you can feel the freedom that comes with that knowledge. I hope you can release and let go of any guilt or shame or consternation you carry for things you’ve done or said or things you continue to struggle with.
This is the Good News…God’s love is so great that we don’t have to DO or NOT DO anything to earn it or keep it. We simply get to accept it and enjoy it, and for some of us, probably many of us, that may take a lifetime to figure out how to do, but let’s keep trying.
Reflection: How easy is it for you to accept God’s love unconditionally? Do you need to let some things go, or quit trying to meet some sort of bar that’s been set?
Prayer: Lord God, we live in a world that does not encourage “something for nothing.” We continually hear messages of who is or isn’t worthy and who is or isn’t deserving. O God, help us to hear Your voice over all the others. Help us to hear and believe the Truth of the Good News, that we are worthy and deserving of all the love You have for us. Forgive us when we listen to the lies. Strengthen and empower us to break down the walls we’ve built that keep us from fully knowing Your love and forgiveness and help us to share that love with others.
Lord, we continue to pray for peace in the world. May fighting cease in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine and Africa and so many other places that experience warring both great and small. We lift up those we know and know of who are struggling in grief, with finances, with illness, in recovery, with mental anguish and emotional turmoil. Lord, You provide all things and we pray for Your provision for all those in need, even ourselves.
God walk with us through our days. As we meet and interact with others, give us Your joy and sense of overflowing love that we might share it and spread it to each one we encounter. Help us to continue to be the salt and the light that You call us to be. In Your name and by Your power we pray, Amen.
Soon I hope to create a new site where I can post alll of my writings and recordings. Stay tuned!
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