His Children

SOURCE: Maxlucado.com

Galatians 4 (NIV)

At one point in their lives, despite being called by God to be His sons, the Galatians stopped at their tracks and looked back into slavery, chose to be under the bondage of law again. Just like what the Hebrews, who were freed through Moses, felt about Egypt and their old lives as slaves when they were lost in the wilderness, experiencing discomfort.

Comfort, convenience, the old ways, the old nature, the old self---these are all easy, way too easy. And forgetting too! Given the array of choices of life's comforts, it is easy to forget that we are God's children. What is it to be God's children? What is in store for His sons? What are the full rights of sonship that Paul mentioned in Galatians 4:4-5?

A God's son...

• is no longer a slave, he is a free man born of a free woman
• was born as the result of God's promise
• has the Spirit in his heart, and can therefore call out to God, "Abba, Father", and
• is an heir to an inheritance. (verses 6-7, 23)

To God's children, life here on earth is never promised to be easy (v. 29). The tug of the flesh, the old self, sometimes gets the better of us. We are a good people. We are of God. And we should remind ourselves of who we are, time and time again (v. 12-16).

We were adopted and now belonging to God. Not minding whether it would be easy or not, we should get rid of any encumbrances (v. 30), defending at all cost (v. 19) our inheritance, our full rights of sonship...never forgetting to whom we belong. We are God's children! We are of God!

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Galatians 4:4-5 (NIV)

Love is a Fruit

SOURCE: Maxlucado.com

Galatians 5 (NIV)

The chapter speaks of Freedom in Christ and Life by the Spirit.

In verses 3 and 4, why do circumcision and obedience to the whole law alienate us from Christ? In the first place, what is this circumcision and law that Paul is talking about? I may not know the answers to these questions but one thing is clear to me and it is found in verse 6:

[v. 6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Jesus values my faith in Him. Faith that should be made manifest and expressed through love. My love of Him and my love of others.

Paul warned me of people who will try to plant confusion in my life, in my faith in Him. These people will persuade me, confuse me, work through into my system of beliefs like [v. 9] "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough", to try to keep me from believing and obeying Jesus.

[v. 1a] It is for freedom that Christ had set us free. I am called to be free. And this privilege doesn't give me the license to abuse it by wallowing in sin's pit. I am free to follow Jesus. This freedom gives me my life's purpose---that is, to love.

Sadly, I don't know enough about the Spirit of God. I know God. I know Jesus. I read and heard many stories of God and Jesus, about their attributes, about their works. But the Spirit?!?! Who is He aside from being a Comforter and a Prayer Mediator/Interpreter?

I am free to follow Jesus. And Paul said that the Spirit will keep me free from my sinful nature as long as I live by Him....for [v. 22] the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [v. 23a] gentleness and self-control.
 
By these verses I know that the Spirit is also my source of spiritual strength whenever my sinful nature tries to satisfy or gratify itself with the sins of this world.
 
Lord Jesus, I pray that you will continue to let me know more about the Spirit, how I can be empowered by Him and how I can live by Him too. Though I'm clueless about the (un)circumcision and the law that Paul is speaking about, I still thank You for Paul's message. Help me O Lord to maintain my freedom in You and to live my life's purpose here on Earth. Amen.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6 (NIV)

Our Faithful God

SOURCE: Maxlucado.com

John 6:1-15 (NIV)

This passage tells the story of Jesus feeding five thousand men.

God knows us. He knows our thoughts, our weaknesses.
 
And God is a God of second chances.
 
Standing in front of five thousand men, Jesus knew what Philip was thinking, yet He still asked him a question to test him (v. 5-6). But, sadly, Philip failed the test and so did Andrew. It was not just Philip but ALSO Andrew. And there are and will be more Philips and Andrews in this earth, people like me who will fail to see how God will provide for our needs and not just our needs but our wants (v. 11) too amidst the impossibilities of life.
 
We are limited by our human strengths, weaknesses and knowledge. But we can count on Jesus to pick us up when we fall, to enlighten us when we fail to see, and to pass the test for us when we flunk it.
 
In John 6:10-11, Jesus showed how He passed the test, for us. It's the truth behind Max Lucado's statement: "God is faithful even when his children are not. That’s what makes God, God."

He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

John 6:6 (NIV)