Galatians 5:16-26
English Standard Version (ESV)
My ability to tell trees apart is limited. I know what an evergreen tree looks like, and I can tell a giant sequoia when I see one. I know a maple tree, and that's about where my tree knowledge ends. I know that trees are made of wood and are expensive to have someone cut down.
But when I see a tree covered in apples, I know that it's an apple tree. When I see a tree laden with oranges, I can make a pretty good guess as to what kind of tree it is.
In the same way, when I see someone who is patient, kind and faithful, I learn something about what kind of person that is. When I see someone who acts loving and gently towards others, regardless of race or class or creed, I know something about that person. It doesn't tell me everything, but it tells me something.
So when you act, it reveals something about your character. Are you driven by sensual things, constantly angry or causing strife? Then you may only be seeking pleasure for yourself. But if you are consistently patient and faithful, then you clearly are acting out of selfless love, and those are the people I want to tell more about.
If you want people to hear your story about how you have been saved by grace through faith, seek to practice the fruit of the Spirit, as God will use these traits to create windows through which the Spirit may flow. In living out the fruit, we point to Christ and the grace with which we are freely loved. We demonstrate that we do not belong to or seek only ourselves, but we belong to Christ, who loves beyond measure.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Galatians 5:7-15
Galatians 5:7-15
English Standard Version (ESV)
Again, Paul gets passionate here, because he cares so much about these faith communities that he's invested in. Think for a second -- what was the last thing you got mad about? What fires you up? What raises your blood pressure? When you think about the things that got you fired up over the last few weeks, if you're getting upset over little things and not getting upset about important things, that's helpful to know.
Once we wade through Paul's indignation, we get to this beautiful passage about freedom. Remember, the Law has been fulfilled, but Paul, just as Jesus was always doing, raises the standard. The freedom that we've been given isn't just for us to indulge ourselves, but rather it's an opportunity to serve as we've been served, to love as we've been loved. Our freedom is a gift, and we can enlarge that gift by sharing it with one another. It's not just about us -- it's an opportunity to invite others into the community and be enriched by watching others experience the same freedom that we've been freely given.
There's a recent story about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar auctioning off his championship rings. He doesn't need the money, but rather he sees these rings he has as an opportunity to bless others, and he's more excited about what that opportunity might mean for someone else than what it means to him. No one can take away the memory of the rings or the championship that comes with them -- but he can use them as a way to bless others, and that brings him joy.
Similarly, no one can take away what Christ has done for you. That's yours, forever. You've been bought with a price. What we now have is the chance to use that freedom to bless others. Think about it -- you have nothing to fear, ever. You cannot be destroyed. What can you do for others?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Again, Paul gets passionate here, because he cares so much about these faith communities that he's invested in. Think for a second -- what was the last thing you got mad about? What fires you up? What raises your blood pressure? When you think about the things that got you fired up over the last few weeks, if you're getting upset over little things and not getting upset about important things, that's helpful to know.
Once we wade through Paul's indignation, we get to this beautiful passage about freedom. Remember, the Law has been fulfilled, but Paul, just as Jesus was always doing, raises the standard. The freedom that we've been given isn't just for us to indulge ourselves, but rather it's an opportunity to serve as we've been served, to love as we've been loved. Our freedom is a gift, and we can enlarge that gift by sharing it with one another. It's not just about us -- it's an opportunity to invite others into the community and be enriched by watching others experience the same freedom that we've been freely given.
There's a recent story about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar auctioning off his championship rings. He doesn't need the money, but rather he sees these rings he has as an opportunity to bless others, and he's more excited about what that opportunity might mean for someone else than what it means to him. No one can take away the memory of the rings or the championship that comes with them -- but he can use them as a way to bless others, and that brings him joy.
Similarly, no one can take away what Christ has done for you. That's yours, forever. You've been bought with a price. What we now have is the chance to use that freedom to bless others. Think about it -- you have nothing to fear, ever. You cannot be destroyed. What can you do for others?
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Galatians 5:1-6
Galatians 5:1-6
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is setting up a choice -- you can be completely dependent upon yourself, or you can completely depend on Christ. To Paul, there is no middle ground -- you can't rely upon yourself but use Christ as a backup plan. You can't have Christ because you like some things but aren't a fan of others. You can depend fully upon him, or you can choose your own way -- but it's a clear choice, one way or the other. You can't have both.
It sounds harsh in some ways, but remember what is being offered -- Christ has offered to us, FOR FREE, eternal life that we cannot earn. The other option is to try our hardest (and fail) at getting this for ourselves. Which would you choose? Let's say I was going to offer you a choice -- you could have $1 billion tomorrow, no strings attached as a tax-free gift, or you could have $1 billion in twenty years if you were completely perfect for the entire time, which would you choose? You'd take the free gift, right? Why try and earn what we cannot earn when Christ offers it to us for free? To Paul, it's clear what is better -- Christ has offered himself on the cross to do for us what we could not do ourselves. The depths of God's love have never been more clear. We are so treasured that we have been bought at the ultimate price so that we might dwell with God forever. You are beloved -- and the only thing that counts is allowing your faith to steer your life as it works itself out through love. THAT IS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! How great is the Father's love for you, and how treasured you are.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is setting up a choice -- you can be completely dependent upon yourself, or you can completely depend on Christ. To Paul, there is no middle ground -- you can't rely upon yourself but use Christ as a backup plan. You can't have Christ because you like some things but aren't a fan of others. You can depend fully upon him, or you can choose your own way -- but it's a clear choice, one way or the other. You can't have both.
It sounds harsh in some ways, but remember what is being offered -- Christ has offered to us, FOR FREE, eternal life that we cannot earn. The other option is to try our hardest (and fail) at getting this for ourselves. Which would you choose? Let's say I was going to offer you a choice -- you could have $1 billion tomorrow, no strings attached as a tax-free gift, or you could have $1 billion in twenty years if you were completely perfect for the entire time, which would you choose? You'd take the free gift, right? Why try and earn what we cannot earn when Christ offers it to us for free? To Paul, it's clear what is better -- Christ has offered himself on the cross to do for us what we could not do ourselves. The depths of God's love have never been more clear. We are so treasured that we have been bought at the ultimate price so that we might dwell with God forever. You are beloved -- and the only thing that counts is allowing your faith to steer your life as it works itself out through love. THAT IS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! How great is the Father's love for you, and how treasured you are.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Galatians 4:21-31
Galatians 4:21-31
English Standard Version (ESV)
So Paul is expecting his readers to be well-schooled in their knowledge of the Old Testament. He's setting up a contrast, and he does so utilizing a story that most of the Galatians would have known. Abraham and Sarah were married, and God had promised Abraham many offspring in Genesis 15. Well, by Genesis 16, they were tired of waiting on God to fulfill God's promises, so Sarah thought she could secure God's promises through her own methods -- she convinced Abraham to have a child with her servant, Hagar. As you can imagine, this doesn't go well.
So Hagar, the servant, bears a child, but through the efforts of Abraham and Sarah to obtain God's promise on their own. This child, Paul says, represents one choice. This child is not the child of the promise that God assured Abraham would come.
The other child, the miraculous child that Abraham and Sarah had in their old age, the child that came in God's time -- that is the child that Paul is referring to as the free child, the other path for the Galatians to follow. This is the way that Paul is inviting the Galatians on -- a way that is free and a gift from above, not earned or grasped, but received with gratitude.
Faith is a gift, to be received and lived with gratitude. We don't figure it out on our own or earn it -- we receive it, regardless of how unworthy we may be, and let gratitude transform us. God is good, and blessings are poured upon us. So don't beat yourself up for not figuring out your life in faith -- take a deep breath, remember that it is a gift, and spend some time in prayer thanking God for what God has done for you. We're all struggling to know just how to live best, but God is still calling us, still loving us, still receiving us. We are a work in progress, but God has pronounced the final word over us when God ascended the cross and died to save us from our sins!
English Standard Version (ESV)
So Paul is expecting his readers to be well-schooled in their knowledge of the Old Testament. He's setting up a contrast, and he does so utilizing a story that most of the Galatians would have known. Abraham and Sarah were married, and God had promised Abraham many offspring in Genesis 15. Well, by Genesis 16, they were tired of waiting on God to fulfill God's promises, so Sarah thought she could secure God's promises through her own methods -- she convinced Abraham to have a child with her servant, Hagar. As you can imagine, this doesn't go well.
So Hagar, the servant, bears a child, but through the efforts of Abraham and Sarah to obtain God's promise on their own. This child, Paul says, represents one choice. This child is not the child of the promise that God assured Abraham would come.
The other child, the miraculous child that Abraham and Sarah had in their old age, the child that came in God's time -- that is the child that Paul is referring to as the free child, the other path for the Galatians to follow. This is the way that Paul is inviting the Galatians on -- a way that is free and a gift from above, not earned or grasped, but received with gratitude.
Faith is a gift, to be received and lived with gratitude. We don't figure it out on our own or earn it -- we receive it, regardless of how unworthy we may be, and let gratitude transform us. God is good, and blessings are poured upon us. So don't beat yourself up for not figuring out your life in faith -- take a deep breath, remember that it is a gift, and spend some time in prayer thanking God for what God has done for you. We're all struggling to know just how to live best, but God is still calling us, still loving us, still receiving us. We are a work in progress, but God has pronounced the final word over us when God ascended the cross and died to save us from our sins!
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