The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Galatians 4-6
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: Galatians 4-6
Paul was not opposed to keeping Jewish holidays or other markers of the Jewish faith; he often did so himself. However, he was entirely opposed to anything other than grace through faith as the means of salvation. Nothing we can do, but only what Christ has done for us, can save us. Paul brilliantly and in somewhat complex fashion uses the Old Covenant to prove the superiority of the New Covenant. Sarah and Hagar represent the two covenants. Hagar represents the old, symbolized by Mt Sinai (where the law was given) and Jerusalem (where the law was the epicenter of Jewish faith). She is a symbol of the “flesh,” the sinful, human effort to become righteous. Sarah represents the new covenant, symbolized by a heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. Sarah is a symbol of life in the Spirit, the work of God in us to become new creations. The son born of Hagar, Ishmael, was the result of human effort, trying to “help God out.” Sarah’s son, Isaac, was born of faith; he was completely the work of God to do what human effort could never do. Paul’s point is that Abraham’s covenant has been completely fulfilled in Christ. Through his death and resurrection, all who come to Christ in faith are set free from sin and death. He has accomplished what the law never could. He challenges us to remain free in the new life of the Spirit; we must not fall back into the old slavery of the flesh! Life in the Spirit bears beautiful and delicious fruit, but the old life of the flesh bears nothing but misery and sin. The old fleshly life is about trying; the new life in the Spirit is training. Trying leads to pride and competition and comparison with others. Trying ends in failure because the flesh will never be good enough to keep God’s commands. Training leads to love, humility, and dependence on God. Training includes both success and failure, but it will lead to ultimate success because Christ has secured our final victory. We cannot try to be godly, but we must train for godliness. The difference is not mere words–it is about entirely different ways of living life.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for the adults from Youth Horizons who will be graduating soon from the Getting Ahead program. Pray that they would be have the resources necessary to be free from poverty. Pray that those who do not know Christ would turn to him.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.