Trusting God’s Grace, Not Your Own Efforts
“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:2-5 ESV)
Reflect on The Word
Can you imagine being a first century church that Paul planted and shepherded? You got the guy Jesus specifically picked to lead you to belief in Him and share how to live a life honoring Him. I don't know about you but I think I'd live that life in grace to a tee. I'd be so good at it you'd thought I got the message straight from Jesus. And once I got over myself and remembered I'm a sinner saved by grace, I'd also have to repent of my pride knowing I can't live in perfection. My regular imperfection should drive me to Jesus to dwell on His encouragement and live as well as I can in light of Him.
Paul’s calling out of the Galatian churches over their practicing “another Gospel” should serve as a reminder to us that we are going to have influences on us that do not honor Christ. Wrong belief can creep into our lives when we merge the things of Christ with the things of the world. I believe that the American work ethic that has existed for many years is a virtue we can look at and call good. When it is tied to, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23), we can be effective men on mission wherever we are.
But what happens when we are working for the Lord from a place of personal mission? Meaning, I want to achieve something greater, using what the Lord has provided, but for my glory and not His (thinking that it is for Him). Well, I'd be no better than the Judaizers who Paul is writing against in this letter. The Judaizers thought they were doing the right thing for God and honoring the teachings of Jesus at the same time. The problem is they missed the point and caused others to stumble with them. Our old buddy Peter fell into this, so there's no reason to think we can't.
We should work for the Lord - in our jobs, in our service to the church, and in our everyday living. We also need to check ourselves every now and then to make sure we are doing it out of a heart that trusts what God has said and not as a stepping stone for the next “attaboy!” Don't get caught up in a paralysis of fear, though, second guessing all you do, causing you to not serve or work. Try to set your mind and heart each day on serving God well and letting your efforts come out of that mindset.
Counsel: How can I be helped by the Word?
Look in the mirror, not out the window: As disciples of Jesus, we need to be on His heels following His lead. It's not always easy but He hasn't given us impossible tasks. We need to check ourselves, look in the mirror per se, and make sure we resemble Jesus and not the world. Our standard is Christ and not the world.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
Discipleship: How can I grow from the Word?
Remember the gift we have: One of the greatest gifts we've been given is God's Word. It's been written down for us so we can know Him, what He's done, what He's going to do, and how we should live in light of all of it. We need to store away (memorize) specific passages so we can recall them and meditate on them. Seek the things from above (Colossians 3:1) to help you in your day-to-day.
Some passages to consider include Galatians 2:20-21, Romans 5:1-2 , Ephesians 2:8-9, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 4:9-10, Titus 3:4-7.
Encouragement: How can the word motivate me?
We don't have to earn Christ's love or salvation. Praise God! He gave it as a gift that keeps on giving! A life lived for Christ is a life of quality and not quantity. We men often feel pressure to perform and prove ourselves. If your life is busy from work or general living, remember that Jesus wants our hearts and minds, not our busyness. While excellence is a great thing we should strive for, it is the excellence of Jesus we learn from and try to emulate. Trust in His daily grace and live well from it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that it is by faith that I am saved and by faith that I am sanctified. Help me to rest in Your grace and trust in the work of Your Spirit, rather than relying on my own efforts. Teach me to surrender daily to You, knowing that You are the one who perfects me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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