Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 6:11-18 (day seven)

Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

As we wrap up this series, we are reminded that Paul was warning the Galatians of legalism. Though we may not struggle with the exact same problem, (circumcision) the root issue that Paul addresses is rampant in our culture: self-promotion and self-preservation.

The legalists here were not promoting a bad thing, but the reason for the promotion was ultimately to make themselves look better. It’s often subconscious, but if we aren’t careful we can do the same thing. Our acts of service, posture of worship, and even our prayer requests can become a performance to showcase ourselves instead of the glory of God. We self-promote and self-preserve hoping that others will perceive our actions as holiness. We think that these things we do today might result in jewels added to our crown in heaven. The truth is there will only be one crown worn in heaven. Whatever crown you had put on your head will fall off as you bow before the King of Kings.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 6:1-10 (day seven)

There is an important sequence in the story line of “The Lord of the Rings.” Samwise Gamgee has been a faithful companion to Frodo Baggins on his journey to Mordor to destroy “The One Ring.” Yet, the ring begins to come between them. It is visibly evident that the weight of the ring is taking a toll on Frodo. Sam, the good friend that he is, offers to share the load and carry the ring for a bit so Frodo can have a break. Frodo, under the the spell of the ring, believes that Sam is selfishly trying to take it for himself, propelling an argument that sends Sam back home. Frodo proceeds on the route by himself and is unable to bear the burden alone leading to his capture.

We know Tolkien was a devout Catholic. I believe he wrote this scene with Galatians 6 in mind. The ring is very clearly a symbol of sin in our own lives. We often believe that our struggles are internal, but what we don’t realize is that as much as we try to keep the pain to ourselves, it will eventually bleed over into other places and impact our relationships. We have been created and designed by God to be dependent on others. Anytime we try to bear our own load, it will almost always lead us to more pain and more problems.

Spoiler Alert: Sam didn’t go home. He followed Frodo at a distance and rescued him. This is the importance of community. Be more like Sam. Be like Christ.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 5:16-26 (day seven)  

those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. vs. 21b

Upon reading this list, I find myself in conviction of missteps in my own life where I succumbed to the desires of my flesh. What about you? Does that mean that we will not inherit the kingdom of God? It would seem as if the very legalism that Paul is attempting to extinguish is being fed kindling. We feel as if when we commit one of these sins we have committed an unpardonable offense… or that is what the enemy would want us to believe. When we think we are unredeemable, we lose our hope and will to endure. The game changer here comes down to “practice.” In this instance, practice does not make perfect but is the road to condemnation. The grace of God allows us to recognize that the flesh has not won the war and we can repent of our missteps. By the work of the Spirit and the evidence of His fruit, we can pull ourselves up out of the practice of sinning through the practice of praying.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 5:1-15 (day seven)

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. vs. 9

One bad apple spoils the barrel. It only takes a few degrees to get off course. We have heard these idioms time and time again, but the truth of the message is important to hear often. If we allow ourselves to compromise on our ideals in even minuscule situations, it begins a slippery slope that could lead to total corruption. We are not saying that going 75mph down 281 on my way to church this morning will lead me to apostasy, but it is a calling for us to think about the places where sin and other disruptors have a foothold into our lives. The Galatians in this instance found themselves immersed in a battle with legalism that threatened their entire trajectory as a church. It is important that we look for these areas in our own lives and solidify our theology, so that we do not fall into corruption individually or corporately.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 4:21-31 (day seven)

But the Jerusalem above is free. vs 26

Did you know that you belong to a Kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36)? Through the New Covenant, you belong to the New Jerusalem. In this Jerusalem, “there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).  As Pastor Chris said last week, we have hope because we know the end of the story. When the trials of this world seem too much, we have hope because we know Jesus is with us. When it seems like we will never be good enough, we have hope because Jesus is enough. When it seems like there is no one we can trust, we have hope because Jesus is King.

Even when the old Jerusalem is surrounded by chaos, we have hope because we know that the New Jerusalem will resound with praise. King Jesus, let Your Kingdom come quickly! In the meantime, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of all.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 4:12-20 (day seven) 

 I beg of you, brethren, become as I am. Galatians 4:12

Comments like this from Paul used to unnerve me. In my naivety as a young bible college student, I did not understand how Paul could be so arrogant as to tell us to act more like him. Why doesn’t he just tell me to act more like Jesus? Now that I am wiser (a little bit at least), I get it. Paul was a walking example of Jesus to people who never saw Jesus in real life. He got to be Jesus to them through the Holy Spirit working inside him. The truth is, the young Rick was not as unnerved by Paul as he was his own lukewarm faith. I was not confident that if people became like me that they would look more like Christ.

No matter where we are at in our faith journey, we get to be Jesus to people who have never seen Him. That cashier at the grocery store, the waitress at the restaurant, the co-worker in the break room; this week, maybe even today, someone will cross your path who has never met Jesus. Will you have the confidence to say, “Be like me”? Will your actions point them to Jesus?

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 4:1-11 (day seven)

When you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. Galatians 4:8

For by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 2 Peter 2:19

We are all slaves to something. The question is what are you enslaved to? Technology, work, hobbies, finances, schedules? It may seem like a poor comparison to use such a belittling human experience to explain the effect that these things can have on our life, but if we can all be honest, there is likely something that is running our life that is not divine. It consumes our time, thoughts, and money. It could even be a litany of things. Yet, when we truly look into what’s going on in our life, it is quite likely that we have fallen back into captivity, and the things that are holding us captive are no gods. Which is why our God reminds us again and again; the Father sets us Free. He says, “Come to Me all who are weary and I will give you rest.” We do not have to be enslaved to the things of this world, because we are a child of the King.

I’m no longer a slave to _____. I am a child of God.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 3:15-29 (day seven) 

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ. Galatians 3:24

I prided myself on my GPA. I was an excellent student, and most subjects came naturally to me. That was until I decided to add a business minor to my degree and was forced to take accounting. I was taking Greek and accounting at the same time, and Greek made more sense to me than accounting. So what did I do? I sucked up my pride and went to tutoring. At a small school like Howard Payne, I was able to meet with the professor directly as my tutor. He saw my effort and offered me a compromise; he would tell me the solution, so long as I could do the work to prove that the solution was true.

The Law gives us a path to the Solution. The Law tutors us by pointing us to Jesus. It is our job to do the work to prove that The Solution is true. I am as guilty as the next of skimming over the Law, but it is the Law that lays the foundation for our salvation. Maybe I need to spend more time in tutoring! What about you?

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 3:1-14 (day seven) 

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Galatians 3:1

I think this letter could easily have been written to us:

You foolish Americans. You have such a strong foundation on your faith, why would you allow this kind of heresy to infiltrate your churches. It seems like someone has put a spell on you, because there is no reason for you to be acting this way.

We could say this for numerous heresies in our culture today, but what was the issue in Galatia? It was about inclusion. This wouldn’t be an issue for us would it?  We wouldn’t show favoritism to certain people would we?

It is natural for us to be drawn to people who are like us. There are people that we just seem to click more with. The issue is these clicks can easily turn into cliques. What we need to realize is the thing that allows us to “click” more than anything in this world is the Holy Spirit living inside of each of us. Today there will be over a thousand people on our campus. Go outside of your normal rhythm, maybe even sit in a different pew or seat, and see if you can connect and click with someone new.