Seeking the Life in Christ: November 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

When Something Is About To Happen

Meditations for the Season of Advent

November 30, 2021

When Something Is About To Happen

I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch!”

Mark 13: 37

"I'll tell you what keeps me coming to this church." The man who spoke was punching the air with his finger, pronouncing every word with force and the dozen or so other people in the room turned to listen. "I'll tell you" he said, "what keeps me coming to this church," and every head turned in his direction. "It's strange, I know, but I get the feeling here, like nowhere else, that something is about to happen."

The feeling that something is about to happen. The earliest Christians would have recognized this instantly as one of the truest marks of the church. They were convinced they stood on the edge of history, and that something was about to happen. For the world, time just moved on, but for the early Christian community, something was about to happen.

Because something was about to happen, every word they uttered, every deed they did, every prayer they prayed was shaped by faith in the coming of Christ. Today, those who trust in the promise of God's coming kingdom are also able to see advance signs of its coming all around them.

Every time Christians recite the creed, "He will come to judge the quick and the dead," we proclaim our hope that frail human justice, the kind one can get with a good lawyer and a full checkbook, is not the justice for which we yearn. Every time we share clothing or food for those in need, we do so not because we are so naive as to think that a few used garments and a shelf of soup and cereal are going to end human need. We do so because we live today in the light of God's tomorrow, when all will be clothed in garments of light and the banquet table of the kingdom will hold a feast. Every time we speak words of forgiveness in circumstances of bitterness, words of love in situations of hatred, we are using, in the present, a language which the whole creation will learn to speak in God's tomorrow.

My Takeaway: I love how that man put it: "I get the feeling here, like nowhere else, that something is about to happen." That’s the way I want my church to be. How about you?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life. The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Monday, November 29, 2021

Is Jesus Your Lord?

Meditations for the Season of Advent

November 29, 2021

Is Jesus Your Lord?

“. . . the Scriptures say God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.”

James 4:5b

Happy New Year! Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent, and we have entered the first season of the new Christian liturgical year. Most new churches established within the last generation have broken with the past. New church architecture shuns chancels, altars, any use of liturgical signs and colors, and minimizes, if not eliminates, the cross. It is a shame they are shunning our theological and liturgical heritage.

For many, the practice of liturgical seasons seems antiquated, and not applicable to the new high-tech generation. Early in my pastoral service, I lacked an appreciation for the history and significance of liturgical forms of worship. But as I gained an appreciation for liturgy, I could see how, when appropriately used, liturgical worship shines the light on Jesus. At the very least, including the Seasons of the Christian Year into our devotional practices can help keep us grounded in the essentials of our faith. The oldest confession of faith is simply, “Jesus is Lord.” This was never intended to be an abstract theological proposition; rather, it was intended to be a highly personal affirmation of what we understand to be the core of our being. I like the simplicity of the statement because Jesus is either the Lord of my life, or he is not. There is no in-between. Immediately, when I say, “Jesus is Lord,” the Holy Spirit prompts me to a gut-check: “Have I submitted all the priorities of my life to the Lordship of Jesus?”

My Takeaway: When I am mindful of this confession of faith, my approach to Advent and Christmas remains Christ-centered, and I can rightly judge between the allures of secular culture and choose to remain faithful to the One who has so generously placed His spirit within me.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, November 26, 2021

The Heart of Worship

November 26, 2021

The Heart of Worship

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 100:4

In the late 1990s, Soul Survivor Church, in Watford, England was experiencing what they described as a period of apathy in their worship. Matt Redman, one of their worship leaders recalls, “There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing. He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.” The pastor asked his congregation, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”

During that season, the congregation learned worship was about what they were bringing to God, not what the worship leaders were doing. The church had a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus. They learned worship was about singing praises ‘to’ Jesus, not just ‘about Jesus.’ In response to this transition in his church, Redman wrote a song that has become cherished throughout the world: The Heart of Worship.

When the music fades,

all is stripped away,

and I simply come

Longing just to bring something

that’s of worth that will bless your heart

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus

Psalm 100 is also cherished throughout the world and serves as a model for worshiping God in truth and spirit. As followers of Jesus, we remember that God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be, because no one is as they should be. (Brennan Manning) With that thought in mind, take time this Thanksgiving season to read Psalm 100. Contemplate each attribute of God the psalmist extols. Change the words so that it becomes first person with you singing to the Lord. This is my personalization of Psalm 100:

I shout with joy to you, my Lord, I worship you with gladness. I come before you singing with joy because you are God! You made me, and I am yours. I am among your people, the sheep of your pasture. I enter your gates with thanksgiving; I go into your courts with praise, giving thanks to you and praising your name. For you, my Lord are good, your unfailing love continues forever, and your faithfulness continues to each generation.

Before your next worship service, allow your personalization of Psalm 100 to help prepare you for the heart of worship:

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, November 25, 2021

A Lewis Grizzard Thanksgiving

November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving

A Lewis Grizzard Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

I love retelling this Thanksgiving story from the late Southern Philosopher, Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994).

In 1986, Lewis wrote of missing the family Thanksgiving dinner. It was at an uncle's house out in the country. Country folks like to eat dinner early in the middle of the day. Grizzard slept late and missed it. At 1 P.M. that afternoon, he got a call from his friend, B.A., inviting Lewis to catch a plane because one of their favorite bars in Savannah was open even if nothing else was. Lewis said he met B.A. at the Savannah airport three hours later. On their way to their favorite bar they first stopped at a little beer joint just outside the airport. I’ll let Lewis finish telling his story.

“There were a couple of pool tables inside and young men wearing hats with the names of various heavy equipment companies sewn on them were playing. Cigarettes dangled from their mouths. They were silent and expressionless. One got the idea heavy stakes were involved.

A few old men sat around the bar drinking beer. A man and a woman worked behind the bar. There was a juke box playing country music.

"Keep your mouth shut," B. A. said, "and we'll probably be OK."

"Probably..."

We had a few beers and played a few tunes of our own. Nobody had spoken to us until a graybeard sitting a few stools down looked up from his can of beer and asked, "Y'all ain't from around here, are you?"

We said we weren't.

"Y’all going to stay for supper?" the man went on.

"Stay for what? I asked.

"Supper," he said. "We have it here every year on Thanksgiving. It's mostly for the regulars who don't have nowhere else to go, but I'm sure nobody would mind if y'all stayed."

We didn't say yes. But we didn't say no, either.

A half hour later, the door to the joint opened and in walked five or six ladies bearing plates of food. Lots of food. They set up a table near the juke box. Turkey and dressing. A ham. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Green beans. Butter beans. Creamed corn. Homemade rolls. There were also cakes and pies.

The customers put down their beers and pool sticks. They lined up plates in hand for the feast in front of them.

"Y'all more than welcome to eat," said the woman behind the bar. We got in line.

The food was wonderful. We went back twice.

"You do this every year, huh?, I asked one of the ladies that brought the food.

"They's lots of people don't have nowheres to go on Thanksgiving," she said. "Some of 'em come in here to drink cause it ain't as lonely as staying home. We all live in the neighborhood and we just try to share what we got with others."

We stayed until 9 or 10. We tried to pay extra for the food, but nobody would take our money. Thanksgivings come and Thanksgivings go, and, occasionally, one comes along that is very special."

(The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, November 27, 1986).

Cheryl and I wish you a very special Thanksgiving.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Speak Up This Thanksgiving

November 24, 2021

NOTE: My Advent meditations will begin on Monday, November 29, 2021. My meditations for the last three days of this week will be related to Thanksgiving.

Speak Up This Thanksgiving

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so”

Psalm 107:2

In October, Dr. Billy Abraham died. He was a beloved Wesleyan scholar who had taught at Southern Methodist University for more than thirty years, and he was in the process of launching a new Wesley House at Baylor University. He will be greatly missed, especially by the Methodists who are looking forward to the new Global Methodist Church which should begin as a new denomination next year. Billy was always encouraging us to “Know what we believe and say it!”

Eleven years ago, Cheryl and I spent the week before Thanksgiving in Israel enjoying many of the sites of our Christian heritage. Eight years ago, we were in Colonial Williamsburg enjoying many of the sites of our heritage as Americans. Our heritage in both places was made possible because of the faithful who knew what they believed and said it.

I am thankful that Cheryl and I had the opportunity to experience the Holy Land. Repeatedly, I was impressed that our Christian heritage is paved with the deep personal commitment and sacrifices of that great cloud of witnesses who surround us. (Hebrews 12:1) On our trip to historic Virginia, I was also very impressed that our heritage as Americans is paved with the deep personal commitment and sacrifices of countless men and women who responded to a higher calling in life than self-gratification.

As I take the time during this Thanksgiving holiday to ponder our heritage, I recall something I read in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Museum. Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) reflecting on the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group, made this observation:

“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew; And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

God calls his people to speak up, or as the Psalmist put it, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so” (Psalm 107:2). The Kingdom of God is extended when God’s people speak up. In your gratitude for all that Christ has done for you, I urge you to speak up. Speak up in your homes and churches. Speak up in your places of employment outside of your home and all the many places you enjoy social activities. The mainline media gives people the political and secular interpretation of the issues of our times. Speak up and give those around you an opportunity to understand the events in our culture from the perspective of Jesus who is our way, our truth, and our life. (John 14:6)

In gratitude this Thanksgiving, let us resolve to “Know what we believe and say it!”

NOTE: Following my own advice, on January 3, 2022 I will begin a six- week series of meditations of what I think are the core beliefs of the Christian faith.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

The New People of God

Meditations on Galatians

November 23, 2021

The New People of God

What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

Galatians 6:15b-16

Read: Galatians 6:11-18

In this closing passage, Paul takes the letter from his scribe, who had been writing the letter as Paul dictated it, and he adds his own postscript. Paul’s passion for his friends in the Galatian churches is clearly evident, and I suspect they were warmed with Paul’s affection for them as they saw Paul’s own handwriting at the end of the letter.

Paul makes one final appeal for his friends to not get caught up in the rule-keeping ways of the Judaizers. For Paul, it doesn’t matter how well we are doing in rule-keeping. “What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation” (Galatians 6:15b). Those who have thus been set apart as the new people of God will carry the scars of faith, not circumcision. Paul’s closing words are very reminiscent of his words in Romans 8 and Philippians 3 where he teaches us that,

“together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17b Emphasis mine) and,

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10 NRSV Emphasis mine).

My Takeaway: Paul carried the scars of the persecution he suffered for the cause of Christ. He also carried scars from his daily affirming in his own life, not his will, but God’s will be done. So it is for all the fully-devoted followers of Jesus seeking the life in Christ as their way of life.

“May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God” (Galatians 6:16).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, November 22, 2021

Don’t Stop

Meditations on Galatians

November 22, 2021

Don’t Stop

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9 (NRSV)

Read: Galatians 6:6-10

In today’s passage, I hear Paul affirming one of the greatest attributes of the first century church: patience. Paul believed that by trusting in God, the followers of Jesus should be patient—not trying to control events, not anxious or in a hurry.

As we rest in the assurance that God is at work within us (Philippians 2:13), we can patiently trust that God will form the life of the Beatitudes and the life of love that Paul celebrates in 1 Corinthians 13 within us. This statement of Paul calls us to fully embrace a patient lifestyle:

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6

Our patience is rooted in God’s character; God is patient and is working relentlessly across time to accomplish his mission. The heart of patience is revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus’s life and teaching demonstrate what patience means and calls us who follow him to a patient lifestyle that participates in God’s mission.

My Takeaway: Patience is hopeful; it entrusts the future confidently to God. Therefore, we can joyfully embrace Paul’s encouragement: “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NRSV).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, November 19, 2021

Living as the People of God

Meditations on Galatians

November 19, 2021

Living as the People of God

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

Read: Galatians 6:1-5

God created us to be in community. Sin destroyed our ability to enjoy loving relationships in community. God, in Christ, restored our relationship with Him and thus restored our capacity to be in community.

Living as the new people of God in community is threatened when we are not seeking the life in Christ. When we are focused on the law and rule keeping, the inevitable result is pride, as we compare ourselves with others. It is tempting to feel smug and superior when we think we are doing better than others.

When we are seeking the life in Christ as our way of life, and we encounter a brother or sister making wrong choices, we can “gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (6:1). We maintain community.

In verse 3, Paul identifies one of the foundational principles of living in community: “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” That may seem like a harsh statement, but remember, Paul would be the first to tell you that God is head-over-heels, passionately in love with you. You are hugely important to God. Because this love of God is eternal, unfailing and fulfills all our needs, we are then free to love the world the way Jesus loved the world: sacrificially.

My Takeaway: God created us to be in community. How do we do this? “Let your bearings towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 NEB 1961)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, November 18, 2021

The Buffet Line of Life

Meditations on Galatians

November 18, 2021

The Buffet Line of Life

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:24-25

Read: Galatians 5: 22-26

I noted in the previous meditation, that the Apostle Paul saw things as black and white. You are either in Christ, or you are not. You are either living by grace, or you are living under the law. You are either living by the Spirit, or you are living by the flesh. Paul sees these two ways of living as being completely opposite of each other, like forces constantly fighting each other. In the previous passage, Paul listed some of the characteristics of living in the flesh. Here he helps us understand what it is like for us when we are living the Life in Christ, or living by the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

We all know it is better for us to live by the Spirit instead of the flesh. I am sure if we put that up for a vote it would pass. How can the Spirit-life ascend, and the flesh-life descend in our life? In verse 24, Paul says “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” How do we do that?

God has already done the heavy lifting for us. Paul is showing us that when we came to God by faith in Christ Jesus, our old life was crucified with Christ, and God has now given us new life in Christ. This old life/new life is a gift of God’s grace. Now that we are alive to God in Christ, we get to choose how we want to live our life. We are finite creatures; that is, we have a limited amount of consciousness. We get to choose with what we will fill our lives.

My Takeaway: Think of Paul’s two lists, the characteristics of the flesh-life (v. 19-21), and the characteristics of the life in Christ (v. 22-23) as items on the buffet line of life. It is an all-you-can-eat buffet, but you can only choose nine items. Which do you choose? Do you see how new life in Christ works? If you consciously choose to fill your life with the qualities of the Christ-life, there is no room left for the flesh-life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

When the Flesh is Tugging

Meditations on Galatians

November 17, 2021

When the Flesh is Tugging

For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14

Read: Galatians 5: 13-21

Jesus Christ has set us free from the power of sin that separated us from God. Our New Covenant relationship with God has been won by, and secured by, Jesus for all eternity. Paul wants us to embrace our freedom, to rejoice in our freedom, and to choose to live each day in our freedom in Christ. In this passage, Paul begins to demonstrate how different our freedom in Christ is from the law. The law provides a list of dos and don’ts. Keep the law and you’ll be in a right-relationship with God. Of course, the problem we know all too well is that no one can faithfully keep the law.

Freedom does not provide a list of dos and don’ts. Freedom provides us with signposts pointing the way toward God, and then we have the freedom to choose which way we want to go. The more we choose the ways of God, the more we train ourselves in the life of Christ. However, in keeping with the truth Paul has been teaching in this letter, choosing the right path is vitally important.

The apostle Paul was not too big on shades of gray. He saw things as black and white. You are either in Christ, or you are not. You are either living by grace, or you are living under the law. You are either living by the Spirit, or you are living by the flesh.

My Takeaway: Paul’s argument is quite simple. If your lifestyle resembles the characteristics of the flesh life in Galatians 5:19-21, you are making the wrong choices in life. Paul wants us to know we do not have to follow the desires of our sinful flesh. Through the power of Christ, we can choose to follow Christ in the ways of God. When we feel the tug of our flesh, let us always recall Paul’s words in Romans 7:24-25: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

P.S. Also, hold on to the promise of Romans 8:1-2.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

It Matters A Great Deal

Meditations on Galatians

November 16, 2021

It Matters A Great Deal

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?

Galatians 5:7

Read: Galatians 5: 7-12

The Apostle Paul was a master of mixed metaphors, as he so well demonstrated in this passage. He moved seamlessly from running a race, to cooking, to a courtroom setting, to a personal reference and closes with a reference to castration. Whew! The depth of Paul’s passion for Christ and for the church of Jesus Christ is clear. There are times in Paul’s writings when he exhausts a thesaurus as he proclaims the marvelous grace of God. There are times, like this passage, when it seems like his passion overwhelms his ability to clearly communicate. In today’s passage, Paul is clearly very angry.

It was in the writings of Fred Craddock that I read, “in a country where everyone is a Christian, no one is a Christian.” The truth observed in that statement is that it is possible to water down the Christian faith to a point where nothing really matters, and anything goes. Paul was so angry, so passionate, because he believed it matters a great deal what we believe about Jesus. Paul told the Romans that just because God’s grace is so marvelous, we do not have a license to sin with impunity. (See Romans 6) Here, he is telling the Galatians that the grace of God launched a New Covenant relationship with humankind, and that it is grossly offensive to the price God paid to set us free to require people to take a step backwards into the Old Covenant before moving forward with God into the New Covenant.

My Takeaway: The Christian experience of most Americans is pretty tame. Many go along to get along. As you are reading about Paul’s passion to keep his friends in the Galatian churches on the right path with God, is there anything in your journey with Christ that invokes such passion? Should there be?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, November 15, 2021

Freedom in Christ

Meditations on Galatians

November 15, 2021

Freedom in Christ

“For freedom Christ has set us free”

Galatians 5:1a (NRSV)

Read: Galatians 5: 1-6

“Plant your feet firmly therefore within the freedom that Christ has won for us, and do not let yourselves be caught again in the shackles of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 PHILLIPS).

I believe the greatest gift we can give God is to accept our acceptance. God wants us to wrap our arms around ourselves and love ourselves as He loves us. When I truly embrace myself as the beloved child of God everything changes, I “become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is the truth that Jesus said would set me free, and Jesus gave his life for me so that I can live in his freedom. (John 8:32; Galatians 5:1)

Living in the freedom of Christ allows me to love and accept myself as I am, where I am. Living in the freedom of Christ allows me to be pleased with myself just as I am, because God my Father is pleased with me. This freedom in Christ is not a license to keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace. (Romans 6:1) This freedom in Christ is a license to love myself because Christ loves me, and he died for me while I was still a sinner. When I love and embrace myself, the one that Christ gave himself for, I become fertile ground for the Holy Spirit to form Christ in me. The more I join the Trinity in loving myself, the more Christ will become visible in my mortal flesh. This is the freedom for which Christ has set me free.

My Takeaway: This freedom in Christ empowers us to do and say what Jesus would do or say, because Christ lives in us. (Philippians 4:13; Colossians 3:11b) We can stand up and go forth as the beloved of God, empowered to stand firm in the freedom Christ has won for us. Remember, “Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us” (Colossians 3:11b).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, November 12, 2021

Children of The Promise

Meditations on Galatians

November 12, 2021

Children of The Promise

And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac.

Galatians 4:28

Read: Galatians 4: 21-31

In today’s passage, Paul jumped back into the deep end of the theological pool to press on with his argument. I suspect his argument here was more for the Judaizers than the Gentiles because his argument is somewhat convoluted and depends on a pretty thorough knowledge of the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar in order to grasp Paul’s point.

In its simplest form, the argument of the Judaizers was that the people of God had their origin in Abraham and are subject to the Law of Moses. Therefore, if a Gentile wanted to accept Jesus as the Messiah and become a part of the people of God, he must first be circumcised and then submit to the Law of Moses. Paul countered this argument by pointing out that the origin of God’s people came through the promise of God to Abraham and Sarah. The child Isaac was born through Abraham and Sarah’s faith in God’s promise; the child Ishmael was born out of Abraham, Sarah’s and Hagar’s wisdom and strength, or as Paul liked to call it, their flesh. For Paul, keeping the Law of Moses was a work of the flesh; to become the people of God is an act of faith, believing God’s promise that Jesus is His Messiah.

This passage may seem archaic and obsolete for Christians today, until you ask them if they believe they will go to heaven when they die. The most common response is, “I hope so.” When pressed further, the typical Christian will say they hope they are good enough. “Good enough’ is reliance on performance, on keeping the law. I have encountered many Christians through the years who believed God was angry with them or that they were not good enough for God, and therefore, they interpreted the bad things in their life as God’s punishment.

My Takeaway: God is not angry with us, but I believe His heart aches over the difficulty we have in simply believing His promises. Somehow, we need to own those powerful words of Brennan Manning: “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.” (All is Grace by Brennan Manning)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Until Christ Is Formed In You

Meditations on Galatians

November 11, 2021

Until Christ Is Formed In You

My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,

Galatians 4:19 (NRSV)

Read: Galatians 4: 12-20

In this passage, Paul took a break from his detailed theological argument about the life in grace to remember his personal relationship with the Galatian congregations. In Chapter 5, Paul beautifully summarized his life with the Galatians when he first brought them the Good News of Jesus: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6 NIV). We do not know whether Paul had been suffering from wounds of persecution or a serious illness. We do know that the Galatians received him warmly and showered him with loving hospitality. The power of the Holy Spirit was evident in Paul’s preaching and ministry, and new churches were established throughout the region. It was Paul’s hope that the remembrance of God working so powerfully among them would inspire them to return to the foundation of grace that enabled their freedom in Christ to flourish.

Paul closes this passage with what I believe is one of the most compelling revelations of the life in Christ: “My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,” (Galatians 4:19 NRSV Emphasis mine). This phrase makes it abundantly clear that God is at work within us, transforming us to become like Christ.

I hope this powerful affirmation by Paul elicits two responses in you.

First, with a huge sigh of humility, do you lift your eyes to heaven in awe of your Abba’s remarkably high expectation for you?

Secondly, with another huge sigh of humility, do you lower your eyes and marvel at how much more God must do before Christ is fully formed in you?

My Takeaway: Did you notice that Paul compared his personal ordeal on behalf of the Galatians, as like the pain of childbirth, because God was working through Paul to form Christ in them? Do you see it? God uses the followers of Christ to help other believers grow and mature in Christ. As I write these meditations each day, it is my sincere hope and prayer that God uses them to form Christ in you. You too are an instrument of God’s grace for forming Christ in His children. For whom can you say, “I am in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you?”

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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