Beginning with the Spirit

Job 30; Psalms 120; Galatians 3-4 

“…After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing – if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?”

Galatians 3:3-5

The temptation to rely on our human effort in following Christ is very difficult to overcome if we are not yet aware we have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). In Paul’s context, it was the pull of ‘Judaizers’ trying to get Gentiles to live under the Mosaic Law, even while they followed Christ. In our context, human effort looks more like relying on a church full of programs or Bible knowledge we acquired decades ago, rather than on a vital, daily relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit. It should be normal for us to experience the presence and power of God each day. Just as we began to follow Christ through the miracle of faith, let us continue each day, expecting that faith in Christ, through the Spirit, is all we need. 

“…for your glory.”