Author: Rick Henderson

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.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 2:11-21 (day seven)

The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. Galatians 2:13

Peter, what are you doing? We know that you of all people know the importance of including the gentiles. Acts 10 and 11 showed us your vision where God told you to include them. This feels like a drawback to the Peter who would rebuke and deny Jesus rather than the one on whom the church was built. Yet, this is what makes you so relatable. You remind us of… ourselves! Two steps forward, one step back.  Even when we have been made new (vs 20), it seems like it is the same old sin that comes crawling back in. Satan knows to attack where we are weak. That is exactly why we need to be on guard, especially when we are in positions of power and influence.

“The sins of teachers are teachers of sins.” – John Trapp

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 2:1-10 (day seven)

They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do. Galatians 2:10

Even in the midst of dissension, we can usually see that we are on the same page. The end goal and purpose are usually the same and that is enough to keep us together. However, our culture would tell us that the dissension is irreparable. We have become so consumed with being right, that we can’t look through theological differences to join together for the greater good and the furtherment of the kingdom. I am right, you are wrong, so we can’t be friends. This is what the world is telling us.

This is not to say that we should compromise on our beliefs, but time is too short for us to waste time drawing lines in the sand when we could be drawing up battle plans. If there is opportunity to find unity in the midst of dissension, that is where our focus should be.

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 1:11-24 (day seven)

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace. Galatians 1:15

Paul is telling us about himself, but he is also giving us insight into our relationship with God:

You are chosen. The Psalmist uses similar language saying, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 119:13). Before the beginning of time, God had a plan for you. He created you unique and perfect. In that perfection, He set you apart for a specific purpose… or purposes.

You are called. God extends to you an invitation to join Him in this work that He has set you apart for. Every person has a calling. For some, it is to come into a relationship with Him, but His calling doesn’t stop at salvation. Being set apart is synonymous with sanctification, and we know that sanctification is the process of our spiritual maturation on this earth. The calling may be different, but it will never stop. He is always calling His chosen ones to join Him in His work.

When the prophet Isaiah heard this calling, He said , “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) The Lord has chosen and called you for a specific purpose today. Will you be able to say, “Send me!”?

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

who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age. Galatians 1:4a

Have you ever heard someone attempt to discredit the Bible due to its age?  They try to say that a book written by men thousands of years ago should not govern or provide morality for the present age. The problem with this logic is that the Bible is not some book written by men; it is the inspired Word of God.

Paul addressed this particular book to the churches in Galatia, clearly intending for it to become a circular letter that was passed around the region. We can know that God intended for it to circulate all the way to you and me in 2023. Why? Because He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His Word is not outdated. It is more than capable to rescue us from this present age. How is the Word speaking to you today?