More Prayer Power

Ephesians 1:1-23

Some people light up our lives. Other people (sometimes even—shock!—other Christians) drive us loony. In today’s passage, Paul offers a powerful model of prayer for fellow believers. Paraphrase the passage and offer it up to God on behalf of the lights—and the loons—in your life.

You might pray something like this: “Lord, Glorious Father, I thank you that __________ is in my life. Give ________ spiritual wisdom and insight that they might grow in their knowledge of You. Flood their heart with Your light. Help them to know the confident hope You’ve given to Your children. Help ________ to understand the incredible greatness of Your power, the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, the resurrection power available to all who believe…”

Pray these things for yourself as well. Pray today for those you’ll be sharing heaven with tomorrow. Prayer changes everything.

Lord, bring Your body closer...

Perspective

Galatians 6:1-18

About a decade ago, the mantra of our society was "You gotta look out for number 1;" look out for yourself, because no one else will. Today, the sentiment has changed just a bit to "It's all about me!" There are even t-shirts and notepads to remind people that you’re really all that matters. Thankfully, most people don't live that out 100%, but no matter how consumed we are by this philosophy, it is absolutely opposed to what is taught here in Galatians 6.

Paul doesn't ease us into anything, as he closes his letter to the Galatians. He comes right out and reminds us that none of us can fulfill the requirements of the Law on our own. We are powerless to please or impress God by our obedience or faithfulness. Our only hope is in Jesus Christ. Do you struggle to live that out like I do?

Galatians 6:3 might be one of my favorite verses in the NLT: "If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important." We are certainly important. We hear the echo of God's declaration of our value over and over again in Scripture. But our value is not found in comparing ourselves to others, and it is not found in our obedience. We are valuable, because we were created by God. Still, our value does not make us more important than someone else. Jesus is our example, our righteous, all-powerful God, who humbled Himself to pay our death on a cross. So when we're tempted to think we're too important to help someone, we are certainly not more important than Jesus, who was willing to exchange heavenly glory for the humility and difficulty of human existence. Since Jesus didn't think He was too important to reach out to sinners, why would we?

When we think it’s all about us – whether we make ourselves the focus of everything or we try to measure ourselves by comparison to others, our perspective is skewed. Rather than seeing someone near us overcome by sin and deciding to intervene, gently and humbly guiding them back to the right path, we decide it’s really none of our business, or we criticize them for allowing their sin to be so obvious. But none of us keeps the whole Law ourselves. All we can boast about, with Paul, is the cross of Jesus Christ. When our focus is on Christ and we see our lives through the filter of His Cross, we see things in proper perspective. As the Law and the Gospel work in us, we see our own shortcomings and rejoice in Jesus’ sacrificial provision for us. Then, being gentle and humble makes sense. Carrying each other’s burdens seems right. And we see that our weakness really is powerful, because it allows God’s love to shine through us.

The War Within

Galatians 5:13-26

Throughout this letter, Paul has been reminding the churches that their
attempt to follow the old Jewish regulations leads to enslavement. We
are made right with God through trusting in Jesus, who loved us and
gave his life for us. When we try to rebuild the old system of relying
on good works, we are condemned (2:18 and 19).

You and I may feel far removed from the old Jewish customs. However,
chapter 5 begins not only with the wonderful truth that Christ has set
us free, but also with a warning to all of us: "Make sure that you stay
free." There are two forces fighting within us - the sinful nature vs.
the Holy Spirit. It may be quite a task for us to develop the
Spirit-led life, and not cling to our old ways.

As an illustration, consider Jesse Turner. He was held hostage in
Lebanon for nearly five years. Then on October 22, 1991, he was set
free and reunited with his wife. Reporters described him as appearing
exhausted and pale. At one point, he almost stumbled and fell.

What I remember most about him was a brief statement I heard on the
radio. Those who saw Turner in Beirut, shortly after his release,
noticed how he held his hands together in front of him, as though still
bound.

Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John
8:36 NIV). But what about that sinful nature? It "craves." It has
"desires" and "passions." It "wants to do evil." It desires to take us
hostage. How do we conquer this enemy?

The case has been made already - clean living doesn't save us. Still,
it is sobering to be told that anyone whose life is characterized by
selfishness, dissension, "and other sins like these . . . will not
inherit the kingdom of God" (See Galatians 5:19-21). And how easily we
deceive ourselves.

The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of Truth. We can invite Him to be our
Teacher, guiding us into the truth about God and about ourselves. Yes,
it may be painful. It may be a slow process.

Are we willing for God to change us? I think He usually waits for us to
give Him permission to produce in us the fruit He desires. However,
patience does not mean passivity. Our part is to "listen" - especially
by diligent study of Scripture - and to obey. He provides the power.

"Christ has truly set us free" (Galatians 5:1). Is this a present
reality, or a step-by-step rooting out of self-centered desires?
Scripture addresses both.

First of all, we are offered a freedom we can know now. It is freedom
from the fruitless task of attaining heaven by our own goodness. It is
the freedom that comes by grace through faith. It's called salvation.

Secondly, there is the freedom that comes regarding this war raging
within us - between our old nature and the Spirit of Christ. "Live by
the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature"
(Galatians 5:16 NIV) - "Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives" (NLT).
It's called sanctification.

The Greek word for "live" used here comes from the root word "to tread
or walk about." The word is in the present tense - referring to
habitual conduct - meaning to go on living, to pass one's life in this
manner.

We read Paul's admonition in verse 13 - "Don't use your freedom to
satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one
another in love." - and we understand that God's desire is to work with
us and within us to make us more and more like Jesus.

May our prayer be this, found in the hymn, "Rock of Ages" -
Be of sin the double cure:
Save from wrath, and make me pure.

Deetje Wildes

Am I Living in Freedom?

Some of us find it helpful to read larger portions of Paul’s letter in one sitting in order to more fully grasp an overview of what he is sharing in the letter. 

You may want to give that a try.  Again in this letter (Galatians), even as he wrote in the 2^nd letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul is in agony because people may have slipped back into their old sinful patterns of living.  Is there any way or ways in which I have done that too?  Is so, pause now to deal with them in prayerful concern.  Notice how Paul writes of the contrast of living in slavery vs. living in the freedom of the Lord Jesus!  Pause a moment to ask yourself this question: “Is my living more like being a slave to those things that pull me down rather than living like a person who has been set free from sin and evil?”  V. 13 – Paul had been ill at the time of his coming to them to share the Good News.  Do I ever use my lack of health (or any other such thing) to excuse me from doing what I know the Lord wants me to do?  Ask forgiveness. 

 

Donald E. Pardun

 

Galatians 3:10-29

It all started with faith. Even before the law existed God covenanted relationship with His people asking for their faith in Him. The law came with a purpose. It came to protect us from our sinful selves until Christ would come and bring true life. Once Christ came, the law was no longer needed as our guardian because we would now be protected by Christ.

Sometimes, though, we decide we'd rather live by the law than faith. We decide it's easier to just have a book of rules rather than trust God in the unknown. We think that we are good enough because under a system of law you can sorta just compare yourself to those who are worse than you. Thing is, this passage says that if you are going to live that way you'll have to keep every single law (vs 10). Well, I guess that plan's out. I know I haven't kept every law. I'm a big sister (aren't we cute?). I was out of that running about the age of 5. If you have siblings or a spouse, you've broken the law at some point.

Thankfully, the law was never meant to save. Christ saves. He wants us to have faith in Him, not our works. He knew we could not save ourselves so He provided a way. Live by faith today, not by law. Know Christ through faith, not through works.