A Life Worthy

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:8-9)

There are very few things for which the Bible advocates eternal condemnation.

This would be one of them.

That ought to give us a clue into just how seriously the Lord takes his plan of salvation.  Think about it.  He paid the highest possible price for you.  Why would he tolerate anybody trying to change the terms?  It’s like agreeing to purchase a home for several million dollars, and then having the agent tack an extra nickel onto the price. 

Actually, it’s not like that at all, but I think you can see where I’m going.  

How could anything we do add anything significant to what God has already done?  The Lord of the Universe gave his Son for you, and you’re going to…what…give a homeless person a sandwich and call yourself an equal partner?  I think not.

Beloved, we should do good things.  But they should come as a result of the great love that we have already received, not with the expectation that we are somehow wooing and winning God’s favor.  If anybody tries to tell you otherwise, you should make like a bakery truck and haul buns.

Please don’t tell my wife or my daughter about that last line.  They’ll disown me.  

Happy Thursday, Beloved

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-7).

If you’re not super familiar with the book of Galatians, it might help to have a smidge of background here.  The church in Galatia had a number of believers who were not of Jewish descent, and so really knew nothing of the Law.  They just grabbed hold of this Gospel of love  and grace and repentance and forgiveness of sins and they ran with it.  But…the church also had a number of former Jews, who still clung to aspects of the Law and were pushing the Gentile believers to abide by it.  The situation was, in theological terms, a sticky mess.

Enter Paul, who writes a letter that we read, oh, a couple thousand years later.

And which is still relevant.

So, as we dive in here, there’s a question to ask yourself:  What do you add to the Gospel?  Don’t be too quick to answer, there.  Think about it for a while; let it roll around in the old noggin.  What “haftas” have you made part of your relationship with Christ?  We all have them.  They creep in around the edges and muddy our faith.  So, what are yours?  See if you can identify them.  It might make the next days easier

or harder

but definitely more productive.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age… (Galatians 1:4).

I have huge admiration for the soldier, the cop, the firefighter, for their willingness to stand between us and the danger that threatens.  When disaster strikes, you will find these brave men and women running toward the danger while everyone else is running away.  The thing that amazes me is that these people get up and go to work every day, knowing that there’s a chance they might not make it home that night.

It’s similar to being a middle-school teacher, though perhaps not quite as dangerous.

Consider then Christ Jesus, the ultimate rescuer.  He came to Earth, not with the chance that he might die, but with the full knowledge that he would die.  It was all part of the plan.  Remember, Beloved–he knew what was awaiting him here.  He knew.

He came anyway.

For you

Remember that as you go into battle today.

Happy Friday Beloved.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ… (Galatians 1:3)

Without grace, there is no peace.

Seriously…why would there be?

Without grace you are dead in the water…and dead in your sins.

Without grace, you get what you deserve:

pain

emptiness 

darkness 

loneliness

eternity apart from love. 

But…

you are not without grace, are you?

It flows over you, in you, through you.

You don’t deserve it, but that’s kinda the point, is it not?

You have found favor with God.

You are healed

and filled

and whole.

So…walk in grace today, Beloved.

Know his peace.

Happy Wednesday.