Devotionals

When you think about your faith, do you connect it to your obedience to God and to His Word?

If you look up the Biblical definition of faith, you will most likely be directed to the first verse of today’s passage from Hebrews 11: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” So, if you and I are being faithful to God, we are obeying His Word for every aspect of our life. That means our very life should cling to the reality of our hopeful faith in Christ Jesus, and we must submit our souls to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so we can become more disconnected to this temporal realm (earth) and more and more connected to God in our Eternal Home (Heaven).

During yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary reminded us that “Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith” and that “our faith is a big deal with God”. She went on to talk about today’s passage and how it outlines for us the Biblical heroes of faith. She reminded us that, “Jesus knows that you and I will need to be Champions of faith”, and so the writer of Hebrews reminds us of what Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah did, because we too need to be ‘Great Examples (or Heroes) of Faith’ and we need to learn from them and our other brothers and sisters within scripture.

Back in 2021 “The Dash” by: Linda Ellis was shared during a Bible study. I included the poem at the end of this devotion. If you’ve never read or heard it, it’s definitely worth the read. “The Dash” is basically the time that God has granted our earthly existence in-between our physical birth and our physical death. When I think about “The Dash” for Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, I am in awe that almost two millennia after their physical presence, each of them remains to be great examples of thriving faith. Their legacies are all about God and His Kingdom and it has all to do with the fact that each of them was obedient to God and firmly rooted in their faith to Him.

Hebrews 11:1-12 (NLT)
Great Examples of Faith

1Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the perfect example of faith. Help us to be more and more like You and to continue to learn from our brothers and sisters of faith that You have given to us throughout scripture. Grow us in our obedience to You and to Your Word this new year. We want to be champions of faith for You and to extend our faith in You out to others, so that we can be a part of growing Your Kingdom, because that is the legacy we wish to leave, one that is all about You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

The Dash
By: Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning…to the end

He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?

Intro: Every day I take time to praise and celebrate Christ coming into my life. He brings the Wisdom and resources of heaven [grace] that I so desperately need moment by moment. Christ is my Champion; He guides my faith and helps me to understand the problems I face are all due to sin in the world—the world constantly wages war against the Light of Truth [John 1:5; Rev 17:14]. Truly, we wrestle with sin every day either in ourselves, in others, or in the rebellious and arrogant atmosphere of this fallen world. It requires a fight for the true faith—we must take hold of eternal life to experience victory [1 Timothy 6:12].

Christ is definitely the eternal Strength to endure difficult times. In his teaching, Jesus warned his followers there would be tribulation in the world, but he also promised to be our eternal Peace and Overcomer! [John 16:33]. When we recognize the eternal Christ is the One who brings our lives the greatest value, nothing this temporal world has to offer will compare and we will not lose heart or quit our journey of faith [Phil 3:7-11]. We will press on!

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul understands what it is like to face criticism, trials and suffering, but he teaches us not to look at the pain those things cause; rather, we must fix our focus on the goal of living by faith in Christ who is our Champion. Honestly, pain and suffering are hard to ignore. But, when we are weak, we can enjoy the resurrected strength and power of the enteral Christ. His power is made perfect in our weakness [2 Cor 12:10]. As you look at this coming new year, remember believers live in Christ and you are called to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power [Eph 6:10]. Happy New Year!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits [our inner being] are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being my Champion. I want my faith in you to grow; so, when I am weak, please make me strong. Help me to be an overcomer in your Mighty Hand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Between November 27th and December 24th, we celebrated Advent—a season of anticipation leading up to Christmas when we celebrated the Birth of Christ. We have remembered and celebrated the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love of God; all righteous blessings the first Advent provided for the salvation of our souls as God’s children.

We live in the last days—Jesus’ activity until the end of time—so now we live in anticipation and hunger for his second Advent. Dietrich Bonhoeffer [a German pastor and theologian] once said, ”The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” As believers, we crave transformational experiences with God; in Christ we are invited to encounter greater things to come.

In our passage today from the gospel of Luke, Jesus weeps because Israel is not looking for the very salvation and peace they asked the Father for and what Messiah came to provide. Jesus makes peace with God for us, but he is looking for us to follow him into righteousness and away from sin. We have been given choices and we must decide what we are willing to leave behind in order to follow Jesus.

The New Testament reminds us that every disciple must give up his or her life in order to enjoy divine encounters in the righteous life of Christ [Mat 16:24-25]. Matthew left behind illegal financial actions [Mat 9:9-13]; Martha left behind worry [Lu 10:38]; Brothers James and John left behind worldly ambition [Mark 10:35-45]; and Nicodemus left behind unbelief [Jo 3:1-21]. The religious leaders rejected their coming King; they did not want to leave behind their previous ideas about God in order to experience the peace of God that would bring them new and powerful encounters in Christ’s righteous life. Therefore, Jesus said their nation would suffer and it did in 70AD when the Romans destroyed their Temple and killed many of their people.

As believers, we now live and move and exist in Christ! He is the King of Peace and the King of Righteousness. May we willingly bow our knee to our King and live according to his standard of righteousness.

Luke 19:41-44 Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.

Prayer: Father, may the world accept the salvation you offer in Christ before it is too late. Help your children to follow you into righteous living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Humility [associated with meekness] is a very tough attitude to champion in this self-centered world. Everything about this world screams, “Think about yourself first!” If we lack spiritually humility, we are arrogant and prideful; things that are certainly not birthed of the Holy Spirit.
In our passage today, the disciples are intently focused on their status; they want important positions in God’s kingdom. Jesus quickly addresses the disciples question, by pointing to the importance of spiritual humility. He uses hyperbole [exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally] to get the disciples’ attention and to convey how strongly God feels about an attitude of humility.

Sometimes we forget that Jesus humbled (emptied) himself of his divine standing and glory in order to take on flesh and come to earth as God’s Suffering Servant to save us [Phil 2:7]. It only makes sense that we must humble ourselves as Christ’s servants; we are not above our Master [Mat 10:24]. What happens to the spiritually arrogant people and false teachers who diminish God’s children [those who are actually trusting, humble, and forgiving] and tempt them to sin against the truth? Jesus states the fires of hell will be awaiting them [Mat 18:9; Rev 14:11]. I know many people do not want to believe hell is a real place, but when Jesus [Truth] refers to it as a place of eternal torment, we better pay attention!

As I was reading today, I noticed several articles about developing humility, so I invested time in pondering them. Some of the advice I decided to restate and compile for our consideration: 1) Spend time really listening to others; 2) ask for help when you need it; 3) seek to add value to others; 4) take responsibility for your actions and failures; 5) admit you don’t have all the answers or have your life all fixed. If there is anything that will stand in our way of spiritual victory, it is arrogance. So, may God help us think about Christ’s example and empower us to take a humble posture with others each day.

Matthew 18:1-9 The Greatest in the Kingdom
1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your humble example and the power of the Spirit who helps us guard our hearts against spiritual pride. May we be trusting, humble, and forgiving children of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Whether you were with family, friends, or by yourself, I trust you had a blessed and glorious time of celebrating the birth of the Christ. The first Advent of Jesus changed everything, because he came to bring humanity life from above; so we could enjoy God with us! Jesus makes us spiritually alive, so we can model his loving character with human action.

The Christian’s purpose is to live by faith in Christ and reveal the character of God, everyday. We now live to worship him each day by being conformed to his image and bringing glory to his name (Ro 8:29; Ro 12:1; Gal 2:20). Jesus gave us his Spirit, so we could be his redeemed flesh. God is the Life of believers, so no matter what we are doing we are to reveal our faith and trust in God through our faith-filled words and faith-driven actions.

In our passage today, the Apostle John teaches believers everywhere about being spiritual children of God. We are learning how to live by faith and empowered by the Spirit. This is how we overcome the influence of evil in the world; we live by faith in the Son of God. Some days our load may be heavy; perhaps we are not sure we are going to be able to carry on. However, we must remember God’s grace is sufficient for every need and he is working a greater measure of trust within us (Mat 11:28-30). We need to simply pray and ask for more grace and strength. May God’s strength fill you today for whatever comes your way.

1 John 5:1-12 Faith in the Son of God
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7 So we have these three witnesses— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. 9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the spiritual Life I need each day. I have faith in your ability to help me overcome every obstacle. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yesterday we celebrated the greatest gift this earthly realm could ever receive, and that is Christ. We know that through His death and resurrection, we are offered the choice of salvation and eternal forgiveness and life from this dark and sinful world. That alone should have praises rolling off of our mouths at all times.

Today’s psalm begins and ends with “Praise the LORD!”. The psalmist is calling on the attention of heaven and earth, so all of creation, to be included in praising the Lord. In the first part of the psalm, we see praises from above us within the Heavenly realm, and then in the second half we see the earthly realm joining with all of creation to sing praises to the Lord.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees all of heaven and earth praising the Lord. We must remember that John’s vision is yet to come, and we want to be a part of those who are praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; for He is the only Way, Truth, and Life to the Father (John 14:6). “And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: ‘Blessings and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.’” (Revelation 5:13)

Psalm 148 (NLT)

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
old men and children.

13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
honoring his faithful ones—
the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming the first time to save us from our sinful ways. We look forward to when You return for Your Church, and we want to be ready. So, please help us to follow You and the path that You have for us at all times. Quicken our souls to repent when we are not in Oneness with Your Spirit. Help us, Jesus, to be living each moment for eternity, right now. We join with all of Heaven as we lift up this prayer and praise Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: The Bible—the Word of God—reveals so many miracles within its pages, because nothing is impossible with God if people will believe [Mk 9:23]. Miracles display the love and power of God over even the natural order of things, because God compassionately responds to human need. God created the human race, so he is most certainly going to care for us.

Please consider three of God’s greatest miracles he performed for the purpose of meeting human need if we will believe: 1) The Word of God miraculously came down from heaven and became human—in the form of a humble baby—to show humanity the Way we were originally created to live in the world; 2) The Word of God humbly laid down his physical life of Truth in exchange for our human life filled with sin [lies of Satan] in order to be the powerful and redeeming Door of Hope for the believer’s eternal life and future miraculous resurrection from the dead; and 3) The Word of God is the new miraculous Life imparted to believers and empowered by the Holy Spirit so we can now live the Truth in the midst of a world filled with sin [lies/rebellion against God] [Jo 10:7, 14:6].

This is the miracle of Christmas: The Lord of Love has been born as a Gift to humanity. The Lord of Love came with the purpose of being the Savior for humanity. The Lord of Love now offers humanity new life—eternal life—that is filled with His perfect presence. Believers now live with the anticipation that at any moment the divine life and activity of God may be revealed through and around us. Let the Word open your spiritual eyes and ears! Merry Christmas!

John 1:1-5 Christ Lived Before the World Was Made
1 The Word (Christ) was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 He made all things. Nothing was made without Him making it. 4 Life began by Him. His Life was the Light for men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has never been able to put out the Light.

Prayer: Lord of Love, we thank you for every miraculous act you have performed on our behalf. Thank you for the overflowing blessings you have given believers. We rejoice and give you praise! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

NOTE: Please join us for our Christmas Eve service tonight at 6:30PM. We will sing amazing carols of praise, ponder the Word, and celebrate at the Lord’s table. We will conclude with candle lighting to remind us we are the Light [revelation] of God’s shalom—his restoring wholeness—the world needs. This is our beautiful time to celebrate together, because we will not be offering a Christmas Day service. Blessings!

Intro:  Grace is a beautiful gift from God—in kindness God stooped down to rescue humanity from evil’s work of sin and death. Therefore, grace is about God’s love and redemption—an act of salvation— and is at the center of the Good News.  Jesus is God’s gracious gift [Gk. kharis] who came into the world to take on flesh and save us from eternal destruction—separated from the glorious presence of God and eternal life (Jo 1:14; Mt 25:26; 2 Thes 1:9).  

Although grace was certainly active in the Old Testament, we tend to connect grace with the first advent of Jesus the Christ.  Most assuredly, God sent his Son to be our gift of Love, eternal Life, and our Savior in living. We are saved by grace, continue to grow in grace, and learn to rely on the grace provided as we follow Christ each day (Eph 2:8; 2 Pt 3:18; 2 Cor 9:8).  Dwight L. Moody once said, “Grace isn’t a little prayer you chat before receiving a meal.  It’s a way to live. The law tells me how crooked I am.  Grace comes along and straitens me out.”  Jesus came to earth to be born into our humanity, so we could be born anew into his divinity.  Grace makes that transformation possible—saved from living life without our Creator, so we can live like Jesus.

If we are going to follow Jesus beyond the demands of our flesh and into godly living, we must have sufficient grace (2 Cor 12:9).  God is working in our lives and provides grace to produce his character in us: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Gal 5:22-23).  Just think; God’s grace has already been provided for us each day and is simply waiting for us to appropriate it; whatever strength I need and whatever challenges I may face God is there to make me victorious.  This is the Good News of Immanuel—God with us.  This is the Christmas Story the world needs to hear.

Titus 2:11-14 NLT

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Prayer:  Lord, it cost you everything to provide grace for me, even though all I have to do is receive it.  You are so loving and good and I certainly do not deserve your grace, but thank you for your perfect and priceless Christmas Gift found in Jesus.  Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul.  Thank you, Lord, for making me whole.  Thank you, Lord, for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Intro: Our focus this week is on the first advent of righteous Love who came to earth in the form of an innocent baby [Lk 2:12]. Our Child King came to save us from the penalty of sin [death], set us free from the power of sin, and live within us so we would no longer violate the commands of God’s divine Love [Mt 1:21; Ro 6:23; Ro 8:2]. As believers, we are now called to live by faith in the only One who can help us to deny ourselves, carry our cross [sacrifice our will], and follow our King on the righteous path of agape [Mt 16:24].

Agape is defined by Strong’s Greek Concordance as “God’s love and goodwill.” Agape is love which centers in moral preference; God’s divine love and what He prefers. When the angels appeared to the shepherds on the night Christ was born, their song of praise was, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Agape came to make a Way of peace between God and humanity. By an act of our faith, agape continues to work renewing the minds of believers and helping us live in a way that pleases God [Hb 11:6]. As we spend time in the Bible each day, we witness God truly is Agape and he faithfully acts for the goodwill of His human creation [1 Jo 4:8-9].

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul expresses the need for agape and lays out the nature of God’s love offered to humanity. So, we must understand: 1) Love is not a fuzzy emotion, but rather a righteous choice we make to live in the Truth even if it calls for sacrifice; 2) Love always believes in God’s faithfulness to protect his children no matter what we may face; 3) Love is hard work, but we rely on God’s strength rather than our weakness; and 4) Love is never focused on selfish gain or fulfillment that would violate the commands of God. If believers do not stay true to the commands of agape, sin will prevail and the Body’s love will grow cold before the second advent of the King [Mt 24:12]. We need Immanuel—God with us—in order to live a life of agape.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 VOICE 4 Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; 5 it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs 6 or celebrate injustice; but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight! 7 Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.

Prayer:  Lord, You brought supernatural agape to the hearts of believers and Your Word teaches we will be judged by how we appropriate and share it while in this selfish and sinful world. Please help us by renewing our minds each day. Help us guard the Truth of Your love in our hearts, so we will not allow the pride-filled air of this sinful world to snuff it out. May agape flourish in us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro:   When I was a child, I spent a great deal of time enjoying puzzles—I enjoyed seeing a picture develop one piece at a time.  One of my favorite types of puzzles was connect-the-dots.  Perhaps you remember them.  It was basically line art using ascending numbered dots.  When the line accurately connected all the dots, a fairly complex picture would emerged.  If the numbered dots were not followed accurately, a distorted image would appear.

Did you know faith was imparted so you and I could connect the dots of Truth given so beautifully in Scripture?  We need the wisdom of God and when connected with faith it brings revelation—the unveiling of Truth—to guard against a distorted picture of God in whose image we were made [Gen 1:27]. Scripture is the self-revelation of Creator God to his creation.  God wants us to know who He is so we grow in our understanding of who we are in Christ.  The Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures do a great job of offering ascending dots of Truth and when connected an overwhelming and miraculous image of God and his loving character begins to rise up in the core of our being.

In his letters to early believers, the Apostle Paul does a great job of connecting some Old Testament and New Testament faith “dots” for the Bride of Christ [Church] regarding God’s two covenants.  He uses allegory to show the deeper meaning by contrasting two women: an enslaved bride [under the law—Hagar] and a free bride [in Christ—Sarah].  Paul reminds the churches in Galatia that believers are not made righteous by the law, but by obedience to Christ—the Living Word of God.  

God so loved the world that he gave his Son… (Jo 3:16). In his first advent, Love came down—Christ came to die in order to set us free from sin and make us right with the Father.  Now, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us grow up in the nature of Christ—empowered to produce the righteous fruit of God. We do not have to follow our sinful flesh; we are free to follow the Spirit.  So, allow the tremendous love of God to help you mature and produce the nature of Christ in and through you.  As we grow up in Christ—children of the promise—we begin to live in a way that fulfills the purpose of the law—Agape LOVE!

Galatians 4:21-5:1 NLT Abraham’s Two Children

21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
    you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
    you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
    than the woman who lives with her husband!”

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

Freedom in Christ

5:1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for being the Way to Truth and Life.  During this Christmas season, help us, as children of the promise, to obey Your commands of love.  Thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us into righteous fruit production.  Then, others around us will have an accurate image of you.   In Jesus’ name.  Amen.