Galatians 6:1-18

v2) "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."

Christ called us to love one another like Christ loved the church. This is what Paul means by this statement, the call to bear each others struggles like Christ did throughout His life. There is a second subtle part to this verse. We must share our burdens with one another and thus give others the opportunity to help bear them. We are called to community, hence Paul use of the word brethren. So many church peoples, and me the most, place the "everything is fine" mask on during Sunday morning and throughout the week. How many times do you ask someone "how are you doing?" and get a real answer. Of course when real answers come we can stand there like we were just sucker punched, scrambling for words. Father direct us in those times to be able and bear burdens of our fellow believers.

v6) "The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him"
I'm not sure which way Paul means this. Is it physical "things", is this a call to provide for those who instruct us AND/OR is it a way to encourage our teachers without allowing it to go to their head? I remember how encouraged I would be when Sunday school kids would grab some nugget from the scriptures we had covered and could tell me it in their own words. Paul reminds us to share the "good things" with our instructors(I think as a form of encouragement), not just how "moving" the sermon was, but more...

• What did _we_ get out of it
• How to apply it to _our_ daily lives
• Can we share this with unbelievers
  

v9-10) The race is long, we knew this from the start because we were warned of this. (Luke 14:26-35) Victory only comes to those who finish and finish strong. I tire most quickly when I rely on my own strength, my own will, my own way....relying on ourselves makes finishing the race, staying the course impossible, just another reminder of our need for daily dependence on Christ. The time is short but the race intense. So while there is time let us not tire in doing good.

v11-15) The second part of v12) grabbed me. "...,simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ." Paul warns that the "teachers of circumcision" were really just trying to maintain status quo of the Law. They were not willing, as Paul was, to question those above them, to rock the boat. They feared suffering for the cross, and their teaching is one that leads to a heavy yoke, because it is a yoke we bear alone.


Lord, remind me today that it by grace that I am to live. Remind me to remind others of that simple truth. Take away my pride, help me to share my burdens, allow me the insight to bear others burdens. Strengthen me Lord so that I might finish the race well for the time is short, the workers are few and the harvest is plenty.

Gal 6:1-18

"Let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (v5:25-26).

Paul shows us what the church will be like when Christians are walking with the Spirit:

• We will gently restore other believers who are caught in a sin (v1).
• And we will do this without being tempted to pride in ourselves (v1).
• We will carry each other's burdens (v2).
• We will live with appropriate humility (v3-5).
• We will share all good things with each other (v6).
• We will reap a harvest for God's kingdom (v9).
• We will do good to others (v10).

These things are more of the fruits of walking in the Spirit. It is the Spirit that enables us. If we listen to those who tell us that we must live by our own efforts, we are in danger of missing out on a life lived by grace. "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation" (v15).

Almighty God, thank you for making me a new creation - by Your grace alone through the work of Jesus. Help me to remember these truths as I live out my life. Show me how to live by Your Spirit and in Your Grace.

Gal 5:16-26

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again...no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit..."

Paul has just exhorted the Galatians to be free, but not to use their freedom to indulge the sinful nature (v5:13). Instead, he has exhorted them to serve one another in love (v5:13). How is a believer to live this way? By living by the Spirit (v5:16) and keeping in step with the Spirit (v5:25). But before we can live, we must die first. Those who are baptized into Christ are baptized into his death (Rom 6:3). "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature" (v24). We are no longer slaves to it. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (5:1). We are now free to live by the Spirit. We are freed to serve others, instead of ourselves. We are freed to see the acts of the sinful nature for what they are - not because the law tells us so, but because the Spirit does. We are freed to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law that compels us to live this way (v5:23), it is the Spirit within us that bears this fruit in our lives (v5:22).

Father God, fill me and enable me to walk in Your Spirit more each day. Keep me in step with Your Spirit. Remind me that I am dead to sin. Show me when I serve myself instead of Your children. Convict me of my sins so that I can seek Your forgiveness. And allow me to see myself the way You see me.

Gal 5:1-12

Paul warns of returning to the yoke of slavery. He then lights up the salvation by works crowd, stating that those who receive circumcision are actually severed from Christ. While Paul focused on circumcision, a main contention between Jews and Gentile believers, his words could easily be applied to our favorite "good deeds". To sum it up in v6 Paul discounts circumcision, again "works", and hones in on the essence of our responsibilities in Christ, faith working through love.

They had it. They were running along fine, then WHAMO! Paul warns that just a little bit of this salvation by works affects the entire group, or church. I like the phrasing Paul uses in verse 10... he has confidence in them *in the Lord* that they will adopt no other view. Paul knew that left to ourselves they/we are easily persuaded away, BUT in the Lord they/we could find no other view. Paul's passion for this topic is evident in what he wishes upon the deceivers, mutilation... I'm fairly certain that this was of a sexual nature.

Again the passion of Paul and the warnings he provides on not living solely on the freedom found in Christ should be a reminder to us today. The church back then inflected this works based teaching on new believers, I think it still enters in subtlely in today's church... again Paul warns that it only takes a little to grab hold and effect the entire assembly.

Lord, Remind me to rest assured in your freedom through Christ and give me discrenment on warning others of salvation by works based thinking.

Gal 4:21-31

Paul continues the idea of God's family with a powerful metaphor from the law. Hagar is the old covenant, represented by Mount Sinai, and her children are slaves who must try to work their way to heaven by following the law. Romans 3:9-18 tells us that none of Hagar's children make it. It is Hagar, not Sarah, who turns out to be barren when it comes to bearing children into God's family. But we believers are Sarah's children, born into God's family through the promise of God - His grace. The Galatians (and me))  are "all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (3:26)...Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise". After accepting the promise, how can we go back to Hagar's family, the law (4:21)?

Paul tells the Galatians that they must separate from those who are bringing the false teaching (4:30). Undoubtedly, this was difficult, just like it was for Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmail away. But the consequences are too important. The slave woman's son will *never* share in the inheritance with those who have accepted God's promise through faith in Jesus Christ. And God's children through the promise must not be led astray.

Father God, Your promise is a commitment - a marriage vow to Your church that You will never break. And You are faithful to me even when I am not faithful to my vows to You. I have no way to thank you for wanting to make this commitment to me, but thank You! Please show me today who I can share Your truth with to invite more children into Your family.

Gal 4:8-20

v8-11) Paul points out a subtle but very important concept.... even though it appears we come to know God, it is really that we come to be known by God. This concept is (and will be) echoed by Jesus in Matthew 7:22-23 Oh how important it is to be KNOWN by God. Yet Paul is perplexed by their actions of turning back to things of the world.

v11-20) We continue to get a feel for Paul's love for the Galatians, though he fears his labor is in vain, he continues. Why? v19) states because they've not reached the ultimate goal of Christ being formed in them. Paul is frustrated because he has seen the Love and Freedom of Christ in these Galatians before (v14-15), he also wants them to know that the frustration is not out of anger but confusion as to how they have arrived at where they are now. People seek to shut us out as well, to have us follow them. Paul informs them that he continues to seek them out for good, not only when Paul is in their presence but during other times as well, and always until the final goal of Christ in them is achieved. Do I desire to seek people for God until His goals are achieved, even when people behave like Galatians? Is there a persistence in my life toward the work of God?

I repented this morning during prayer, before reading 8-20 and in doing so expressed how awesome God is and how "Life is just not the same without Him" and His quite voice asked "then why aren't you telling everyone about Me?" Then I read Paul's words and actions how he continued to labor for those he and God loved.... further conviction resulted, but I do not want it to stop at conviction. Conviction is used by God for repentance leading to action. Father light that fire in me that was lite in Paul. Create in me your desires to love and labor for all, despite the apparent results, and well past my abilities.

Gal 3:26-4:7

The law leads us to Christ and we are justified by faith in Him (v3:24). But the good news does not stop there - we are also brought into God's family as sons. Paul is addressing a church that had turned from the gospel of grace to the gospel of earning your own way. Paul reminds the Galatians that *all* who have believed and trusted Christ are sons of God. There is no Jew and Gentile. No circumcised and uncircumcised. No "only gave $5 to God, but I gave $10". No good enough and not good enough. There is no "special knowledge" or revelation that we must attain. All believers are sons of God and all believers are *one* in Christ Jesus. There are not distinctions - we are all one in Christ. Jesus, the Son, redeemed those born under law that we might receive the full rights as sons (v5). There are not some believers who are freed from slavery to sin and other believers who are still slaves to sin. All who believe are freed. All who believe receive the gift of the Spirit in their hearts. All who believe have the privilege of approaching God as "Daddy". And through the Spirit, all who believe are freed to follow the law. Not through their own power to achieve eternal life, but through God's power to live as sons. Daddy, thank you for your many gifts of grace. Remind me to live today through Your Spirit and as Your son.

Gal 3:15-29

v15-18) Here Paul establishes that a promise, a covenant, was made between God and Abraham way before the Law ever showed up. start to get a glimpse of why the Law was given.
v19-22) It's interesting here to note that the Law was ordained by angels through a mediator, Moses, until the Seed would come. God gave the promise, angels gave the Law to point to the need of the promise.

v21 is worthy of a special note: "...For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law." The law can never impart life.... ever. This is why salvation by works dies. The law was never made to, in fact can't, impart life to us, only Christ can.

People, myself included, seem to fall asleep in their sin, we love our sins and grow use to the pursuits of the world, until the law wakes us up to our condition. Then the shear terror of our condition really sinks home and the only, the only, way out is faith in Christ. The law is used wake us up to our condition and then to point us to the promise God made so many years ago, the promise of Christ.

v25-29) Once we have graduated the sixth grade there is no reason to repeat the grade. Surely we will need some refreshers going forward, to recall things previously learned, but once faith has come there is no need for the pointer to Christ. There is no need for the law, except to remind us, during prideful moments, and redirect us back to Christ. The law takes a backseat and we move forward in new revelation, in new teaching, in living out this faith now established in Christ.


Lord, help me to not head back to the Law, or my little watered down versions of it. Help me to continue the faith in you that brings joy, that brings comfort, that brings life.

Gal 3:1-14

Paul continues hammering the point that "if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!". Paul is angry that the Galatians have turned from the truth that he taught them: "Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified." Paul uses strong words, not just because he is angry, but to try to get through to them. This passage reminds me of Jesus speaking to the crowd in John 8, where he calls them the children of the devil (strong words also):

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed..."
"Abraham is our father," they answered.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did."

Paul argues what should have been obvious - that the Galatians did not receive the Holy Spirit by following the law, but by believing what they heard. Paul argues that Abraham was justified not by following the law (which was not given yet), but because he believed God. Paul, like Jesus, urges the Galatians to do the things that Abraham did: "So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith".  Paul urges the Galatians to not put themselves under a curse, but rather to trust that Christ has redeemed them from the curse. "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

The application that I see for me is to LIVE by faith. In Christ, I have died to sin and I am no longer a slave to sin. But sin is not gone from my life. And it does not always *seem* to me that I have power over sin in my life. No, but BY FAITH I know that I have power over sin. And BY FAITH I have received "the promise of the Spirit" (v14). And BY FAITH I can choose to walk with the Spirit every day, relying on Him rather than "trying to attain [my] goal through human effort" (v3). Father God, increase my faith and allow me to live by faith.

Gal 2:11-21

Peter's actions of being hypocritical not only affected himself but also allowed others to embrace the spirit of hypocrisy. So much so that even Barnabas was pulled in. Many times I feel my sin only affects me, but in reality someone is usually watching and possibly determining their actions based on mine. Sometimes situations like this creep up on us and sometimes we know we are "skirting" the issue, but for me there is always the voice of God, Spirit of God prompting me...sadly I only listen sometimes. Paul also sees this hypocrisy and addresses it directly. Sometimes I am prompted to "call people out" but I feel, who am I to judge....the problem is that this feeling is being applied wrongly. When the TRUTH of the gospel is at stake, it IS our job to judge, or better termed, to set the record straight and ensure that the true gospel remains intact. Paul caught a subtle issue in Peter's life, am I as sensitive to how I present the gospel through my life, am I sensitive to how my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ represent the gospel. I should be, I'm called to be.

v15-21) Paul reminds us that we are justified through faith and faith alone, never by works. v18-21) are difficult for me to totally parse. I've concluded that Paul's point here is that if he(Paul) rebuilds, through works of the Law, that which he destroys,through sin, he has proven himself a sinner. v20) crucified with Christ; we no longer live, but Christ living in us; now Paul lives his fleshy life by faith in Christ, who loved him. v21) I think Paul is pointing out that his actions, unlike those of Peter's do not nullify God's grace.


Father God, Today help me to hear your voice calling out my hypocrisy, to hear your voice calling me to question peoples motives, to simply hear your voice throughout my day and to respond.