Day 619 Galatians 3:1-22

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You foolish Galatians!
Day 619, Wednesday, April 22
Galatians 3:1-22
Paul is direct in confronting the Galatian church. “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” He moves quickly to the question that dominates the letter: “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you had heard?
The anwer to that question is, of course, that they (and we) received the Spirit by believing what we heard, not by works of the law. “Cleary no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because ‘the righteous live by faith.’”
When we are, like the Galatians, tempted to turn faith into legalism, it’s good to remember how we ourselves came to salvation.
For many of us the awareness of God’s presence and love came before we had any desire to obey God’s law—obedience is a response to God’s presence, not a condition of it. In our understanding of salvation we think first of prevenient grace (God calling us to himself), justifying grace (God declaring us righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus), then perfecting grace (allowing God to shape our life).
Others of us may have tried the path the Galatians appear tempted by: seeking salvation through works of the law. If you’ve tried that, or have seen others who have, you’ve seen that it doesn’t work. Attempting to earn God’s love is a path to frustration and failure, guilt and despair.

-Rev. Mark Fleming

Wednesday meditation

Psalms 115:1-18
Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield.
The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord—small and great alike.
May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord.

Prayer focus
May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

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