Listening to the Word

Deuteronomy 25-27; Galatians 5   “You, my brothers [and sisters], were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13 Paul contrasted the freedom of God’s family to serve one another in love to the freedom to indulge our sinful nature (the flesh). Freedom is not the absence of all restraint; but rather, it is the power to do what is right and good. Indulging the sinful nature leads to habits, addictions, and misery. The power of the Spirit gives us freedom to humble ourselves and serve others with love. Loving God and our neighbor becomes our focus, rather than indulging our own wants. We were called to be free. Are we living this kind of freedom? What indulgences do we need freedom from? Will we humble ourselves before the Lord and invite his deliverance, forgiveness, and freedom so our heart is light and full of the Spirit’s love, joy, and peace? The fruit of the Spirit describes freedom, while the a...

Deuteronomy 22-24; Galatians 4   “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now…God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba Father’. So you are no longer a slave, but God’s son…” Galatians 4:19, 20, 6, 7 Paul used family images to describe the identity of the Galatian disciples of Christ as God’s children. We have the Spirit of the Son, Jesus Christ, indwelling us through the Holy Spirit. We have intimacy with our holy father God through Christ. However, Paul goes deeper and describes his role as the Galatian church planter - like a birthing mother. The pains of childbirth, like ‘intercession-travail,’ marked the birth of the church. Paul was in intercession-pain as he called them to Christ.   He was contending for Christ to be “formed in you.” Have we, like the Galatians, been birthed into the family of God by a spiritual mother or father? Are we birthing o...

Deuteronomy 19-21; Galatians 3   “If man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.” Deuteronomy 21:22, 23 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Galatians 3:13 The penalty of sin is death. God’s law required those guilty of intentionally taking another life to be killed by hanging. This public death communicated God’s curse on those guilty of taking another person’s life. Jesus took our penalty for our sin by becoming a curse for us through his death on a cross. He atoned for defiling sins which pollute our land. God’s answer to the bloodguilt which has defiled every nation through the shedding of innocent blood is the blood of ...

Deuteronomy 16-18; Psalms 38; Galatians 2   “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:19, 20 There are many ‘shadow-missions’ we can pursue in life, rather than finding our life in God and his inheritance for our lives. Paul’s religious upbringing as an observant Jew meant that the Mosaic Law was where he looked for life until he met Jesus Christ. In entering into Christ’s death and resurrection, Paul gave us the key to finding life in Christ. This path of death, resurrection, and life can be ours. Will we die to our false self which trusts in religious performance, good deeds, and being nice, and invite Christ to live through us? Life in Christ requires daily faith that Jesus’ loving presence in us is enough. “Lord Jesus, live in me and through me, for your glory...

Deuteronomy 13-15; Galatians 1 “Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead - and all the brothers with me…If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:1, 10 Paul’s clarity of calling, received by revelation from Jesus Christ, shaped his understanding of the gospel and his freedom in ministry. Paul was not beholden to any organization or person. He wasn’t controlled by a salary, job description, or even local governing board. Yet, wherever he went, Paul lived in mutual submission to the elders in Jerusalem and local leaders in the church. His inner submission to Christ meant that Paul viewed himself as the servant of all. He became “all things to all people,” so that he could win them for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Are we free to receive gospel-assignments from the Lord? Are we pleasing Jesus Christ first, and serving others to influence them for the gospel of Christ...

Deuteronomy 10-12; Mark 16   “’But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’’…When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons…When they had heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.” Mark 16:7, 9, 11 The angel at the empty tomb spoke to Mary Magdalene and the other women asking them to announce the resurrection to the disciples. They were to travel to Galilee where Jesus would meet with them. The disciples didn’t believe the women. We, too, might be able to identify with them in their struggle to believe. Mary and the women excitedly shared the good news and were the first to do so yet were faced with doubt and disbelief from the other disciples. We might be able to identify with them in that rejection based on our gender, background, or message we are carrying. Jesus chose to first reveal ...