While I'm finishing up the notes from Galatians, a Newsboys song occurs to me. "I am free."
That's what Paul wanted the Galatians to understand. They were free. We are free.
The song is good, but I couldn't find a video to go with. YouTube lets me down again. Then I was searching around and came across the video to a Casting Crowns song...so here it is. I'm not sure when this blog became a Christian video program but I really like the music and it runs through my head and I need a blog post...so here we are.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Galatians-Week 6-From the Inside Out
Paul finishes up his letter to the churches in Galatia with a little practical advice. First, he addresses handling sin, either in another believer or your own life.
Galatians 6
Doing Good to All
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Maturity vs. spirituality. Paul clearly says that each of us has a duty to pick up, hold up, and build up brothers and sisters struggling with sin. Well, those under the influence of the Spirit. Not the Bible scholars, not the grandmothers who've had decades of training...all of us living under the Spirit. Sin impacts us all...in our own lives, it robs us of joy, lessens our anticipation of Christ, destroys our usefulness...and it infects the entire body. To counter sin, every believer has an obligation to support fellow Christians...to help recognize sin, pray for freedom from it, and to share lessons learned.
9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
And in every life, God's law of cause and effect is still in operation. No, we can't lose our salvation. Yes, we still face consequences for bad decisions. And we all make them. And when we do, the command to love one another so that the world will know that we are disciples becomes even more important.
14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[b] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
And to finish up his letter, Paul remind the Galatians one more time: what counts is a new creation, the Spirit at work in you. Nothing on the exterior amounts to anything. And that way is open to everyone.
Galatians 6
Doing Good to All
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Maturity vs. spirituality. Paul clearly says that each of us has a duty to pick up, hold up, and build up brothers and sisters struggling with sin. Well, those under the influence of the Spirit. Not the Bible scholars, not the grandmothers who've had decades of training...all of us living under the Spirit. Sin impacts us all...in our own lives, it robs us of joy, lessens our anticipation of Christ, destroys our usefulness...and it infects the entire body. To counter sin, every believer has an obligation to support fellow Christians...to help recognize sin, pray for freedom from it, and to share lessons learned.
9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
And in every life, God's law of cause and effect is still in operation. No, we can't lose our salvation. Yes, we still face consequences for bad decisions. And we all make them. And when we do, the command to love one another so that the world will know that we are disciples becomes even more important.
14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[b] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
And to finish up his letter, Paul remind the Galatians one more time: what counts is a new creation, the Spirit at work in you. Nothing on the exterior amounts to anything. And that way is open to everyone.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Galatians-Week 5-Living with freedom
So, if I'm "free" now, that means I can do anything and get away with it, right? I don't have to live with God's law because of the grace, right? I'll just do what I want since I don't have to worry about the consequences.
Right?
Paul says: Turning back to the law invalidates both Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. It also hinders spiritual growth. Just don't do it.
So does that mean we have no rules?
Paul says: Yes...and no. Now that you have the Spirit, you don't need the rules.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we:
understand the truth of the Word.
can be changed into character of Christ, to live like Christ.
know what sin is and when we do it.
want to do the right thing.
Paul says:
2But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Because we have the spirit, we have all these things (a.k.a. the Fruit of the Spirit (singular)):
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self-Control...against such things there is no law.
If you have the Spirit (and you do on the day you confess your faith in Christ), then you have the fruit.
And if you have the fruit, then you don't need the law. Love is better than law any day.
Remember what Jesus said about fruit? A good tree can't bear bad fruit...
Matthew 7:16-18 (New International Version)
16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Of course, you're going to continue to struggle: the old man vs. the new creation. But now you can make the right choice. You have the freedom to make the right choice.
Right?
Paul says: Turning back to the law invalidates both Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. It also hinders spiritual growth. Just don't do it.
So does that mean we have no rules?
Paul says: Yes...and no. Now that you have the Spirit, you don't need the rules.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we:
understand the truth of the Word.
can be changed into character of Christ, to live like Christ.
know what sin is and when we do it.
want to do the right thing.
Paul says:
2But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Because we have the spirit, we have all these things (a.k.a. the Fruit of the Spirit (singular)):
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self-Control...against such things there is no law.
If you have the Spirit (and you do on the day you confess your faith in Christ), then you have the fruit.
And if you have the fruit, then you don't need the law. Love is better than law any day.
Remember what Jesus said about fruit? A good tree can't bear bad fruit...
Matthew 7:16-18 (New International Version)
16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Of course, you're going to continue to struggle: the old man vs. the new creation. But now you can make the right choice. You have the freedom to make the right choice.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Christian unity
Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
This is a message that keeps coming up: how important it is for Christians to get along. In Sunday School, we talked about the divisions that we put on our religions that have very little to do with salvation: whether your worship music has music or not, electric guitars or not, whether you drink or dance or not, what you wear, what translation you use, whether you boycott Disney or not... These are the kinds of things that the world looks at and sees that we can't get along. And really, it's just too bad that sweating the small stuff has such a huge impact on the big picture.
I wanted the song that runs through my head when I read this verse. I couldn't find it in the approximately 2.5 seconds that I devoted to the search tonight. However, this commercial for one of my favorite t.v. shows was easy to find. And it sorta goes with the idea. Loosely. Very loosely. Very, very loosely. Feel free to skip it if you'd like (Gus is my favorite. I like Gus).
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
This is a message that keeps coming up: how important it is for Christians to get along. In Sunday School, we talked about the divisions that we put on our religions that have very little to do with salvation: whether your worship music has music or not, electric guitars or not, whether you drink or dance or not, what you wear, what translation you use, whether you boycott Disney or not... These are the kinds of things that the world looks at and sees that we can't get along. And really, it's just too bad that sweating the small stuff has such a huge impact on the big picture.
I wanted the song that runs through my head when I read this verse. I couldn't find it in the approximately 2.5 seconds that I devoted to the search tonight. However, this commercial for one of my favorite t.v. shows was easy to find. And it sorta goes with the idea. Loosely. Very loosely. Very, very loosely. Feel free to skip it if you'd like (Gus is my favorite. I like Gus).
Monday, August 18, 2008
Strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow
Isaiah 40:31 (The Message)
27-31Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
or, whine, Israel, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind.
I'm having a mood lately, I think. Or maybe it's a funk. Nevertheless, I want to stay home and soak in my place...just be me, with my thoughts and my dog and my hobbies and my rest. I feel weary, mostly mentally worn out but some physical wimpiness too. Maybe it's emotional, tied to the heavy weight of grief that still hits me 2 years later, especially around August 16, or the stress of working a job that becomes more of a challenge daily, or the anxiety that pops up for the people that I know and love who are also facing daily battles or the pressure that comes from knowing I should be doing more. All the time, I should be doing more, pushing harder to get it all done.
And really, isn't this just the way it is? While we're here, this is just the way it's going to be. The only answer: fresh strength.
Father, please give me fresh strength for this week. Improve my outlook and send me the renewed strength to accomplish your work.
27-31Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
or, whine, Israel, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind.
I'm having a mood lately, I think. Or maybe it's a funk. Nevertheless, I want to stay home and soak in my place...just be me, with my thoughts and my dog and my hobbies and my rest. I feel weary, mostly mentally worn out but some physical wimpiness too. Maybe it's emotional, tied to the heavy weight of grief that still hits me 2 years later, especially around August 16, or the stress of working a job that becomes more of a challenge daily, or the anxiety that pops up for the people that I know and love who are also facing daily battles or the pressure that comes from knowing I should be doing more. All the time, I should be doing more, pushing harder to get it all done.
And really, isn't this just the way it is? While we're here, this is just the way it's going to be. The only answer: fresh strength.
Father, please give me fresh strength for this week. Improve my outlook and send me the renewed strength to accomplish your work.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
This is a Call
I was working on the computer when this song came on the Christian channel I was listening to. So then I went to search YouTube...you can find everything there! The video is good, but the song reminded me of someone that I know. Well, more than one person that I know. I think we wait for burning bushes and angelic messengers to identify our opportunities sometimes. And, really, they are all around. The call is all around us.
The Need for Workers
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Still and quiet
Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
Reading Psalm 130 from yesterday and Psalm 131 today back-to-back required a tissue. I'm going to blame it on the timing, but the truth is that I think any reference to being a child just really makes me remember. I'm thinking about another time when I watched for sunrise, at another hospital bed, this time my mother's. This time, I had snuck in to visit her on my way to work, just to see if I could do anything for her. Actually, probably to try to catch a doctor, but I'm sure that was wasted effort. I'm supposed to be at work at 7:00, so it was very early and she was still asleep. So I crept in and had a seat to wait, watching out the window for dawn. I can't really remember the why of the hospital stay. We were still battling the cancer at this point and I think she had some kind of fever. I just remember the feeling of dread there in the dark. I wanted hustle, bustle, light, life, and most of all, I wanted her to be herself. And to not feel so alone. Then she woke up, saw me, and snapped "And what are you doing here?" And everything was OK. She chased me out, back to work.
With a few more sunrises between the two, I understood why miraculous healing may not be the answer to prayer. It's probably not the right prayer. Thanks to my mother, I never had any night watches with her. She really wouldn't allow it. But I still prayed, not with the perfect expectation of youth, but with hope that God would answer my prayers for my mother. I'm not sure I trusted God to do the right thing for her. But He did. And in a way to clearly demonstrate to me that it was an answer, to demonstrate his love for her and for me, and to demonstrate that God is good. All the time. Now if I can just learn to expect that like I look forward to the dawn.
Father, help me to still and quiet my soul, even when I don't understand, trusting you.
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
Reading Psalm 130 from yesterday and Psalm 131 today back-to-back required a tissue. I'm going to blame it on the timing, but the truth is that I think any reference to being a child just really makes me remember. I'm thinking about another time when I watched for sunrise, at another hospital bed, this time my mother's. This time, I had snuck in to visit her on my way to work, just to see if I could do anything for her. Actually, probably to try to catch a doctor, but I'm sure that was wasted effort. I'm supposed to be at work at 7:00, so it was very early and she was still asleep. So I crept in and had a seat to wait, watching out the window for dawn. I can't really remember the why of the hospital stay. We were still battling the cancer at this point and I think she had some kind of fever. I just remember the feeling of dread there in the dark. I wanted hustle, bustle, light, life, and most of all, I wanted her to be herself. And to not feel so alone. Then she woke up, saw me, and snapped "And what are you doing here?" And everything was OK. She chased me out, back to work.
With a few more sunrises between the two, I understood why miraculous healing may not be the answer to prayer. It's probably not the right prayer. Thanks to my mother, I never had any night watches with her. She really wouldn't allow it. But I still prayed, not with the perfect expectation of youth, but with hope that God would answer my prayers for my mother. I'm not sure I trusted God to do the right thing for her. But He did. And in a way to clearly demonstrate to me that it was an answer, to demonstrate his love for her and for me, and to demonstrate that God is good. All the time. Now if I can just learn to expect that like I look forward to the dawn.
Father, help me to still and quiet my soul, even when I don't understand, trusting you.
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