December 22 2005 Gal 3:1
December 22, 2005 Galatians 3:1-14
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Galatians 3:3-5 “Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?--If it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?”
You attend church and are active with church affairs. You pray. You teach your children (or tell your friends, relatives or the like) about Jesus, and you proudly proclaim to them that you are a Christian. You have a “Jesus Saves” bumper sticker on your vehicle. You do not steal, commit adultery, or lie. You honor your parents. You follow all of God’s laws. In fact, you follow all of Man’s laws too, with the exception of that speed limit law; which though you know it’s a sin to break the law, you just have a heavy foot. You love the Lord with all of your heart and you make every effort to live a life that is Christ like.
Then one day, your neighbor, “Mary,” comes by (a friend at school, work, co-worker, etc.). You aren’t especially close to this person, but you do consider them a friend. For whatever reason, perhaps because you are a Christian, she decides to confide in you. She and her husband are on the verge of bankruptcy, they have creditors breathing down their backs. The stress is building, they’ve tried everything they can think of but they know they have to sell everything they own, including their home.
In the midst of this, an opportunity opened up for their musically gifted daughter to audition for a seat at one of the best music schools in the nation. They didn’t even have the money for the application, much less transportation or tuition. But they knew that if she could attend the school it would give her the foundation she needed for her long dreamed of musical career. They had, of course, been turned down for loans, they had no one to borrow from, and they couldn’t even use a credit card. Having to pass up the opportunity for the school was more of a loss than the loss of their home.
Mary tells you that she went to the bank to cash her husband’s paycheck to do the weekly grocery shopping and the bank clerk, knowing Mary’s financial problems, had surprising news for her that day. Just moments before, a large deposit - a very large deposit - was made into Mary and her husband’s account. It was large enough to get the family out of their financial crisis and pay for their daughter’s application and travel expenses to the private music school for the “by invitation only” audition. Thinking there must be a mistake, Mary had the bank check everything possible to verify the deposits. She was assured there was not a mistake. Mary says to you, “It was simply a miracle! Jesus answered our prayers and made that deposit! I know it was Jesus!”
How strong is your faith? Do you believe her, or do you believe that there must be some other explanation for the deposit? In this day and age, do miracles like that happen?
The Bible says that God’s blessing has never been earned, but has always been freely given. God gives us his blessing, freely, when we believe and when we have faith. Nothing more is required. It is a matter of the heart.
Heavenly Father, thank you for freely giving us your blessing, requiring nothing more than faith. We ask that you touch the lives of nonbelievers with your love, and strengthen the faith of those of us who sometimes falter. For even after it has been checked, we might still be apt to believe in a computer error rather than in a miracle of God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Contributed by Lynda Welch
Click here for today's podcast!
Galatians 3:3-5 “Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?--If it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?”
You attend church and are active with church affairs. You pray. You teach your children (or tell your friends, relatives or the like) about Jesus, and you proudly proclaim to them that you are a Christian. You have a “Jesus Saves” bumper sticker on your vehicle. You do not steal, commit adultery, or lie. You honor your parents. You follow all of God’s laws. In fact, you follow all of Man’s laws too, with the exception of that speed limit law; which though you know it’s a sin to break the law, you just have a heavy foot. You love the Lord with all of your heart and you make every effort to live a life that is Christ like.
Then one day, your neighbor, “Mary,” comes by (a friend at school, work, co-worker, etc.). You aren’t especially close to this person, but you do consider them a friend. For whatever reason, perhaps because you are a Christian, she decides to confide in you. She and her husband are on the verge of bankruptcy, they have creditors breathing down their backs. The stress is building, they’ve tried everything they can think of but they know they have to sell everything they own, including their home.
In the midst of this, an opportunity opened up for their musically gifted daughter to audition for a seat at one of the best music schools in the nation. They didn’t even have the money for the application, much less transportation or tuition. But they knew that if she could attend the school it would give her the foundation she needed for her long dreamed of musical career. They had, of course, been turned down for loans, they had no one to borrow from, and they couldn’t even use a credit card. Having to pass up the opportunity for the school was more of a loss than the loss of their home.
Mary tells you that she went to the bank to cash her husband’s paycheck to do the weekly grocery shopping and the bank clerk, knowing Mary’s financial problems, had surprising news for her that day. Just moments before, a large deposit - a very large deposit - was made into Mary and her husband’s account. It was large enough to get the family out of their financial crisis and pay for their daughter’s application and travel expenses to the private music school for the “by invitation only” audition. Thinking there must be a mistake, Mary had the bank check everything possible to verify the deposits. She was assured there was not a mistake. Mary says to you, “It was simply a miracle! Jesus answered our prayers and made that deposit! I know it was Jesus!”
How strong is your faith? Do you believe her, or do you believe that there must be some other explanation for the deposit? In this day and age, do miracles like that happen?
The Bible says that God’s blessing has never been earned, but has always been freely given. God gives us his blessing, freely, when we believe and when we have faith. Nothing more is required. It is a matter of the heart.
Heavenly Father, thank you for freely giving us your blessing, requiring nothing more than faith. We ask that you touch the lives of nonbelievers with your love, and strengthen the faith of those of us who sometimes falter. For even after it has been checked, we might still be apt to believe in a computer error rather than in a miracle of God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Contributed by Lynda Welch
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