Galatians 2:20-21 - I
have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. And the real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not one of
those who treats Christ’s death as meaningless. For if we could be saved by
keeping Jewish laws, then there was no need for Christ to die.
This 2nd part of Paul’s letter to the Galatians
continued to help them understand the great debate of their culture. It was not the rituals …like circumcision…or
the many laws that had been written into the Jewish faith that would save them
from their sins. It was the acceptance
and belief on Jesus Christ alone that would save them and give them salvation.
Paul ended this part of his letter with one of the great
scriptures that we use today for building maturity … faith … a serious
understanding of the magnitude of what Jesus did for us. We need never let our hearts lose the meaning
of Christ’s death and resurrection….least we become so comfortable in our faith
that we become hypocritical.
I messed up my usual routine yesterday with a long afternoon
nap. Then I found myself still awake way
later than my usual bedtime. I even let my sleep overcome me without following
the rule of my heart that I would never go to sleep without letting God’s word
be the last thing I read before I close my eyes. So I found myself waking way later
than sual….no notes to write my blog with this morning.
Long story condensed….I read and made my notes on the deck
this morning…surrounded by the sounds of God’s creation….and visits by many of the
beautiful birds He allows me to help Him care for with my feeders. When I came
to the bold statement of Paul in verses 20-21…I was both convicted of my lack
of strength…and comforted by the knowledge that God doesn’t keep track of the
rules I keep or break… IF…. BIG IF…. I find a way to come back to Him and admit
my sin…repent of it and use His love to try a little harder to get it right.
Paul knew the strength of crucifying himself every day to
Christ…so that God could help him wash a little more of that human flesh away…that
satan uses to trip us up when we stray too far away from the truth. God doesn’t care when I read my Bible….he
just wants me to read it often. God
doesn’t care when I write the insights he gives me to what I read…He just wants
me to write. God gave us rules to help
us realize how close or how far away we are from His will. They don’t save us…they let us know we are
doing what is right…or what is wrong.
Father… thank you for loving me so much that you make a way
for me to abide so close to you that I can die to my sins every day and let you
take away another piece of the flesh that connects me to the world. Help me to
learn to use your law to crucify the things that hold me back from pure and
unconditional love…of you and those you send for me to share your love
with. Amen.
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