Day: May 22, 2021

Living For Jesus By Faith (May 22)

Backgrounder: This epistle has
been called the charter of Christian
liberty. It is Paul’s manifesto of
justification by faith and the liberty
that produces. Paul directs this
great charter of Christian freedom
to people who are about to forsake
the priceless liberty they possess
in Christ. Certain Jewish legalists
are influencing the believers in
Galatia to trade their freedom
in Christ for bondage to the law.
Paul writes to refute their false
gospel of works & to show the
superiority of justification by faith.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your
loving kindness and grace to us.
Our acceptance by You God
comes by believing in Christ alone.
Through the lessons from Gal 1-3,
Help us to Seek Your Approval;
Help us to Live For You; and
Help us to Live By Faith. Amen.

Lord, we will Seek Your Approval:
If anyone preaches any other
gospel than the one you welcomed,
let God’s curse fall upon that
person. Obviously I’m not trying
to be a people’s pleaser! No, I am
trying to please God. If I were
still trying to please people, I would
not be Christ’s servant (Gal 1:9-10)
Lord, I desire to live as Christ’s
servant & not as a people pleaser.
I realise that I can’t seek approval
of others even as I live for You.
It is Your Approval that I seek,
the approval that really counts.
Help me to speak and act with
boldness & love as I serve U. Amen.

Lord, we will Live For You:
I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life
which I now live in the flesh
I Live By Faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself
for me. (Galatians 2:20).
Lord, I have been crucified
with Christ and You live in me.
Thank You for loving me and
giving Yourself for me. Thank You
for Your desire to live through me
and enable me to Live For You!
Set me free to serve You with all
my heart and soul. May the truth
of Your Word give me the vision
to trust You with all that I am
so that all You are may dwell
in me. And may I live joyously
because of my faith in You. Amen

Lord, we will Live By Faith:
Did u receive the Spirit by works
of the law or by hearing of faith?..
He who supplies the Spirit to you
and works miracles among you,
does He do it by the works of
the law or by the hearing of faith?
Just as Abraham believed God
and it was accounted to him
for righteousness… No one is
justified by the law in the sight
of God is evident, for the just shall Live By Faith (Gal 3:2-11).
Lord, I believe in Your power
to do miracles, and I want to see
the evidence vof Your mighty work.
Help me believe fully and expect
great things from You. And
I come to You believing not only
that pYou exist, but also believing
that You are a rewarder of those
who diligently seek You. Amen.

to Gal-Eph-Phil-Col (May 22)

To enhance understanding biblical
context we had been meditating
scripture by time sequence:
OT1: Five Books of Laws & Job
OT2: Conquest to United Kingdom,
including Psalms & Wisdom Poetry.
OT3: Divided Kingdom, Exile, plus
Post-Exilic period & the Prophets.
Then gospels ending John where
we learnt Jesus Christ as Son of God
& believing we have life in His name.
Acts records fulfilment of Jesus’
Commission as Spirit-transformed
disciples spread the gospel. In
Romans, Paul gives a sample of his
message before he arrives in Rome.
And First and Second Corinthians,
Living for Christ in corrupt society.

Next, Paul’s letter to the Galatians
doesn’t open with his usual greeting
of praise and prayer for the saints.
There is an emergency at hand!
The Galatians have listened to
false teachers who have come into
the church teaching that salvation
in a mixture of works and grace.
Paul warns the believers about
the bondage this type of deception
brings and exhorts them to return
to the freedom that is theirs in Christ.
He goes on to show that it is in
the Spirit, not the flesh, that the
Christian life is successfully lived.

The Ephesians had unlimited
spiritual wealth at their disposal,
yet they lived as spiritual paupers.
So Paul wrote to encourage them
to understand and claim their
heavenly resources. Only then
could they draw on them for their
early walk. In the first half of
his letter, the apostle outlines
the heavenly wealth – adoption,
redemption, inheritance & power.
In the second half he shows the
practical application of those
doctrines. Paul made it clear –
believers are not to have merely
an earthly viewpoint. For God
has given to us His riches.

In Philippians, Paul is a prisoner
in Rome. In spite of his difficult
circumstances, he remains joyful
and writes to commend the
Philippians for their faithfulness
and to challenge them to make
Christ the center of their experience.
Jesus’ life and ministry, described
in 2:6-11, is the life pattern all
believers must follow so that
their faith might become evident
to others. Paul acknowledges
that divisions sometimes exist
among believers but is confident
that unity will be restored as they
imitate the servanthood of Christ.

Paul is imprisoned in Rome when
he receives word that heretical
doctrines are threatening the
church at Colosse. To refute
the spiritually lethal combination
of eastern mysticism and Jewish legalism, Paul reestablishes
the truth of the gospel and demonstrates the supremacy
of Christ. As Lord of all, Jesus
Christ is the giver of salvation and
sufficient for every need. No rituals
or legalistic practices are needed.
Since Christ is all in all, Paul
encourages the Colossians
to pursue a godly lifestyle befitting
those who are risen with Christ.