Galatians – Be Still…

Galatians 2:20 – To Die with Christ

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

This verse is not morbid but beautiful. The image of being crucified with Christ doesn’t put us on the cross beside him like the criminals. We are reminded that when we are Christ- followers we have the assurance that we can have salvation from our faith and not being bound by the law. This is a good verse to have memorized because of it’s implications on our salvation.

Context: This verse comes during a conversation between the apostle Paul and Peter, the disciple. Their conversation may have been a bit “heated” as their topic involved Gentile vs. Jew and the importance of following or not following the law of Moses. Those were big issues for the early believers to work out. Gentiles did not know all those laws, and Paul had been preaching that it didn’t matter because faith and trust in Jesus is what counts. Continue reading “Galatians 2:20 – To Die with Christ”

Galatians 4:4-5 – God’s Child

Read Galatians 4:4-5

God’ Son is Jesus, but we can call ourselves “children” of God according to these words from Paul. Stop for a moment to reflect on what it means to be a child of God. It’s comforting, isn’t it? It sure makes me look at the world a little differently. I’m pretty sure most of the people walking down the street don’t know Jesus like I do and know they can be children of God, too.

This is an interesting passage to use for an Advent reflection, but it speaks to Jesus’ role in the world then and now. It’s a bit of the gospel, Jesus’ birth story, and our future hope all wrapped up together. What jumped out to you in this reading? Continue reading “Galatians 4:4-5 – God’s Child”

Christmas Galatians 4:4-7 – Freedom

Read Galatians 4:4-7

The Christmas season continues as we celebrate Jesus’ coming into this world. We have been reflecting on how this little baby brought truth, wisdom, and faith. Paul is describing for us how our inheritance of faith works in today’s reading. Paul had been talking about how until Jesus, people had been like slaves to the law. Jesus’ coming changed that for us when he brought freedom.

There are some great nuggets we don’t want to miss in this reading. The first one is that Jesus came at just the right time. God’s timing is always perfect. We may wish for things to happen on our timeline, but when we can let go and let God, that’s when the miracles happen. Is there something you need to let go of so God can step in without you being in the way?

Galatians 5:16-26 When the Spirit Takes Control

Read Galatians 5:16-26

Fruit of the Spirit displayed in a tree with various fruit all named, entitled "This Fruit is Always in Season"

I couldn’t help but picture a little devil and a little angel sitting on my shoulder, like the familiar meme. Especially when I read, “these two forces are constantly fighting each other.” It’s true. We are constantly fighting the battle of sin in our lives. Evil can often disguise itself as good, or we can try to explain away our sinfulness.

I hope you’re happy, too, to know that we have a helper in the Holy Spirit. We can be assured that when follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in our life, we will be less likely to stumble into the traps of the evil one.

December 19 Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:2-7)

Read Isaiah 9:2-7

peace sign made out of pink and white flowers with a wacky design as background

Peace. What does that mean to you? I know that’s a big question. When is the last time you really felt peace? I mean, really felt it?

This is one of my favorite passages from Isaiah. There is so much to cling to here, one could get lost in these words for days. Perhaps, if you haven’t felt full of peace or peaceful recently, you can spend some extra time with these verses and just let the breadth of each word strengthen you, refresh you, and bring you peace.