What Time is It?

Galatians 4
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.  Galatians 4:4-7  (NLT)

LET IT GLOW

How important is "time" to us? I get up around the same time each day, type these lessons,  get on the treadmill in the morning. I have a schedule for particular days. (Although, I enjoy having a flexible schedule now that I am not teaching.)
When I  held down a fulltime job, I definitely had a schedule to follow. Even after leaving for work, I would plan what I would do whenever returning home-supper, laundry, homework with the kids, time with the husband, a quiet time with the Lord, etc.
What time is it? How many times do you look at the clock during the day? We are so time conscience now days. My conclusion is that  time is important to God.

Did you notice the first phrase "when the right time came?" Other versions say it this way,"when the fullness of time was come" (KJV), "date set, time fixed, right time, completion of the time came."
Verse 2 in KJV uses the phrase "until the time appointed of the faither." Also, "right time" and "proper time" are used.

People have said that time is not significant in heaven. I beg to differ. God has everything planned out that will happen and those that did happen, such as when Jesus was born on earth and His returning. It happened and will happen at  a specific time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die."

Where does the time go? It seems to march faster each year. Am I accomplishing what God has planned for my life within the time He has alotted me here? What does He want me to do today, tomorrow, this week, next week, etc.?


LET IT GROW

The first six verses in this chapter talk about a child being the heir, but under age to be in charge. The child, a minor, has tutors and guardians to guide him until that time. It was the Roman custom for the son to become a man at age 25. In the Jewish and Greek culture, 13 was the age. The time is set by the father when the son can become the heir and then master of his father's estate.

So it was for us. In the fullness of time, when the time of the Law was fulfilled, Christ was revealed. He submitted Himself under the Law to redeem us who were under the Law. The Law was guardian over us while we were still children. Then salvation in Jesus came. We are considered God's sons and daughters, adopted into God's family because Jesus redeemed us. We are His very own children. (My emphasis)

Now that we are God's child, we can cry "Abba, Father" when we need help from God. (verse 6)
Abba is Aramaic for father. Somehow, it doesn't seem respectful enough for me to call God "Daddy" instead of "Heavenly Father."
There were times when we asked our earthly father for help and he gave it. So will our heavenly Father when we ask Him.
Do I ask for His help, or do I try to work things out by myself? Yep, guilty. Do I tend to only cry out when in a "desperate" situation? Oooh.


LET IT GO

Lord help me to use my time wisely for Your purpose.

Thank You, Abba, Father that You hear my cries unto You.

Redeemed

Galatians 3
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.  Galatians 3:11 (KJV)
Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because "The righteous will live by faith." (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

LET IT GLOW

Paul is quoting Habakkuk 2:4, which is quoted three times in the New Testament-Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11, and Heb. 10:38.

According to this chapter, how is Paul saying  I am  supposed to live?

• by faith (verse 11)
• believe God (verse 6)
• as a child of Abraham (verse 7)
• redeemed from the curse of the law by Christ (verse 13)
• receive the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith (verse 14)
• justified by faith (verse 24)
• as a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus (verse 26)
• like Abraham's seed (verse 29)
• an heir according to the promise (verse 29)

Abraham believed God when he was told  he would become the father of many nations and his seed would be as numerous as the sand and stars. This belief was " imputed or accounted to him for righteousness," verse 6 states. As I continue to believe in Jesus as my Savior, my faith justifies me before God. I believe His blood was shed in my place, so I don't have to pay for my sins, Christ already did that. What a Savior!

Joni Eareckson Tada, in her devotional book, Diamonds in the Dust, said," The Law says, do these things and you shall live, but the Gospel says, live and these things you will do. If we are right in our inward being, we shall certainly do right in our outward actions. This is what Christian liberty is all about." (verses 24-25)


LET IT GROW


Have you ever redeemed coupons at the grocery store?  The amount of the coupon I used was subtracted from  my total bill. The company would reimburse the store for that amount. So it was with Christ. When He redeemed me from my sins, I was set free by His paying the price.

Verses 13 and 14 say,"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Shepherd's Notes says:
The word redeemed means "to buy off" or "set free by the payment of a price." It was used to describe the purchase of slaves. The root word for redemption in Greek is agora "marketplace," the site of the slave auction where, every day in ancient Rome human beings were put up for sale to the highest bidder. Paul's use of the word redemption declares that we have been bought with a price. The ransom for our sins was nothing less than the life blood of the Son of God. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

The words of this song came to me:
"Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through His infinite mercy. His child and forever I am."


LET IT GO

Time for evaluation: Am I living by faith, like a child of God?

Am I showing and telling others that I have been redeemed?

What's the Verdict?

Galatians 2
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.  Galatians 2:16


LET IT GLOW

Once I sat on a jury whose verdict found the young man  guilty of breaking the law. He was sentenced to several years in prison. I thought of this whenever I read today's verse. I was like that man.  As a sinner, I was condemned and found guilty of sin before a righteous judge, which is Christ. What's the verdict? Guilty. My sentence would have been death and Hell. (2 Cor. 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ....") But because Jesus Christ died on the cross, was a perfect sacrifice, took my place as payment for my sins, I don't have to pay for my sins. It was all due to the grace of God. My  faith in believing Jesus did this for me, trusting Him as my Savior, asking His forgiveness of my sins, resulted in my being set free from the penalty of my sin.
Now I am justified by faith in Jesus. Being justified means "just as if I never sinned."  It was not by works, or anything I could have done to earn this pardon. Jesus did it all for me as a free gift. That is why I praise Him.

David Guzik quoted a man named Morris as saying, "Justified is a legal concept; the person who is "justified" is the one who gets the verdict in a court of law. Used in a religious sense, it means the getting of a favorable verdict before God on judgement day."

Now that is a reason to shout for joy!

Paul says we are not justified by the law-good works, the Ten Commandments, baptism, church membership, religious ritual. It is only by faith in Jesus Christ.
 "The Jewish laws were inadequate and insufficient to bring them into a right relationship with God," said Jerry Falwell.
So the Jews, like us Gentiles, must believe in Christ in order to be justified. Thank You Lord for grace and faith to believe.


LET IT GROW

Verse 20 reads, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Do I surrender to the supremacy of Jesus Christ? Do I die to my selfish wants, rights, ideas, pride, ownership of my possession, everything? Do I live so people see Christ living in me-through my words, attitudes, actions? Friends, this is hard. Do I hear an amen?

Jesus Christ gave Himself for me. Such love! It is overwhelming. Glory to His Name!

Blackaby said in his devotional book, Experiencing God Day -By-Day:

 "The Christian life is an exchanged life: Jesus' life for your life. Rather than constantly worrying about what you will face, your great challenge is to continually release every area of your life to God's control.The temptation will be to try to do by yourself what only God can do. Allow God to live out His divine life through you. He is the only one who can."

Wow, my toes are sore from being stepped on so much today.


LET IT GO

Can we just skip this part today? I guess not.

Thank You Lord for justifying me. You paid the penalty of my sins for me.

I surrender to Christ living in me.

Leaving Room

Galatians 1                            
But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
Galatians 1:15-16 (NLT)


LET IT GLOW

There have been times when I have saved a seat beside me for a friend or family member at a conference, ballgame, or worship service. I left room for that person and did not occupy the seat because I was expecting them to come. Do I expect God to visit me so I leave room for Him to come into my life as He likes? Hmm.

There was a problem  in the churches located in the Galatian area-a group of legalists had invaded the churches steering Christians away from the Gospel of  Christ and Paul's teachings. In verse 7, Paul says they were "perverting" the Gospel.
"Pervert means to change into an opposite character; to reverse,"  according to Warren Wiersbe in Be Free.
These legalists, called Judaizers, were even attacking the apostleship and conversion of Paul. This is why he is defending himself in the first chapter.

Looking at our key verse, Paul tells us it pleased God, by His grace, to set apart Paul before he was born, choose him and call him to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles (Romans 1:1).

Shepherd's Notes tells us:

Set apart means "to determine beforehand." Paul had in mind something that was even prior to the occasion of his birth-God's eternal predestination and good pleasure by which He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4).


I forget to often thank God  that He chose me to be His child, to save my soul, and has called me to walk by faith, serving Him, teaching His Word. What an honor. Not only has He saved me, but  the Creator of everything decided to create me, which is a miracle in itself. My Dad could have been killed in WWII ten years before I was born. God sustained my life, at age five, when I had a disease called rheumatic fever, which affects the heart. Then 42 years later, God restored my breath and allowed me to live after I stopped breathing following surgery. Yes, I say that I have a lot to be thankful for.

How about you? When was the last time you thanked God for creating you, giving you breath, and saving your soul? There is so much I take for granted. (Oops, I chased that rabbit.)

Do I forget to make room for God to come into my life as He chooses? Do I put limitations or expectations on the methods God uses? I probably do. Why am I surprised when He speaks to me ourside the four walls of the church? All of a sudden God can meet with a life, "When it was the good pleasure of God... ."
I am always telling God how creative He is, concerning things I see.  That should  be extended to when and where His Spirit speaks to me.


LET IT GROW

Verse 20 says, "Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not."

Paul's word was as good as an oath made in the very presence of God.
"Paul's enemies has accused him of being a slick talker," as Jerry Falwell put it.

Paul was telling the truth, not a lie. His life was a witness that he always told the truth and he should not have had to defend himself, but he did.
Am I always telling the truth, or do I have to say when something is not a lie?

LET IT GO

Leave room for God to speak to my heart at any time, any place.

Always tell the truth.

Let It Glow, Grow, Go

Years ago, when I cam home to visit my mother, we would often take a walk down the country road in front of her house. It was a joyful time as just the two of us, sharing our thoughts, feelings, and what was going on in our lives. My mom has gone home to glory now, but I welcome your company as I walk this country road of faith called life.

I am reading through the New Testament using the King James Version. Monday-Fridays I will be posting my thoughts and something that spoke to me from each day's reading.

Please join me as I travel this "country road of faith." Your comments are welcome. Here is the format being used:

Let it Glow
Name something you read today that's a promise, an encouragement, or an example of how God worked in this particular chapter.


Let it Grow
Describe a principle, a lesson to be learned, or a challenge from the scriptures.


Let it Go
Tell how to apply, share, or go do the Word read in this chapter. 

Introduction to Galatians

Introduction to Galatians          

There is no question as to the author of this small book in the New Testament. Paul reveals this in the very first verse of chapter 1.

So who was Paul?
So we don't get confused, Paul was his Latin name, which he used after his conversion to Jesus; Saul was his Hebrew name, that he used before his conversion. He was born in Tarsus of  Jewish parents. His father was a Pharisee and a Roman citizen, which made  Paul was a Roman citizen by birth.

Since Paul's parents were Pharisees, they were fervent in Jewish nationalism and very strict in obedience to the Law of Moses. Though Paul from infancy could speak Greek, and had a working knowledge of Latin, his family at home spoke Aramaic, which was the language of Judea, and a derivative of Hebrew. By age 13, Paul had mastered Jewish history, the poetry of the psalms, and the majestic literature of the prophets. He had an ear for accuracy and  a swift brain like a photographic mind.
[Resource: John Pollock, The Apostle: A Life of Paul]

Paul was educated under the Rabbi Gamaliel. What credentials. Who better to write 13 books of the New Testament? Who better to send out as His (Jesus' ) missionary to share the gospel with the Jews and Gentiles and to establish churches? It was all in God's plan.

Saul, before his meeting Jesus,  was a successful lawyer in the courts of Jerusalem, and most likely part of the larger audience who heard Stephen's defense.
(Stephen, a deacon, stood for Christ and was stoned to death by the Jews, of which Paul witnessed
(Acts 6-8).
As Saul, he was one of the chief persecutors of the early church. He help to kill and  imprisoned followers of Jesus Christ before his conversion on the road to Damascus. In fact, Paul's purpose for his journey to Damascus was to bring those Christians bound to Jerusalem.
We read of Saul's conversion in Acts 9. Saul was blinded as a result of meeting Jesus. Later, Ananias was sent to restore Paul's sight.

Galatians was written while Paul was at Antioch. It was the first of 13 letters to be written to the churches he helped establish.


Who were the Galatians?

According to Liberty Bible Commentary: 

The Galatians were Christians in the churches in the territory of Galatia. Galatia is the name that was given  to the territory in North Central Asia Minor, where the invading Gauls settled in the third century before Christ. The territory became property of Rome in 25 B.C. The Romans incorporated this northern section into a larger division of the land which they made a province and called it Galatia. Politically, Galatia was the Roman province which included Isauria, Lycaonia, and parts of Phrygia and Pisidia. Geographically, it was the center of Celtic tribes and included Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia. The question is did Paul write to the ethnic Galatia of the north or the geographical Galatia of the south? Paul and Barnabas evangelized the southern section of the Roman Galatia during their first missionary journey (Acts 13:14-14:26).


The commentaries which I read agree with me, in that this book was written to the southern Galatian region. It makes sense, since Paul established churches there and he wrote this letter to refute the Judaizers, who were legalists persuading many to turn away from Christianity to Judiasm.
 

When was Galatians written?

According to Shepherd's Notes:

The sequence of events in  Galatians were: Paul's first missionary journey, writing of Galatians, visit to the Jerusalem council, then Paul's second missionary journey. 

So we can see that Paul wrote this letter before he wrote the letters to the Corinthians and Thessalonians or the other churches. Our New Testament is not organized in chronological order of events. Don't be confused by it. I don't know why it is that way. The date Galatians was written was approximately 48-49 A.D.


Why was Galatians written?
The message of Galatians can be summed up in one key verse: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery" (5:1). [Shepherd's Notes]

Paul sets forth grace as opposed to law, faith as opposed to works, and spirit as opposed to flesh," states Falwell in Liberty Bible Commentary.

Warren Wiersbe, in his book, Be Free, informs us, "Liberty in Christ is the dominant theme of Galatians."

Lawrence O. Richards in Illustrated Bible Handbook, tells us: "Galatians explores righteousness and the problem of how a people not under law can experience personal holiness. We have exchanged law for a personal relationship with God, and it is that relationship which provides freedom and true goodness."

"Justification by faith is the central theme of Galatians," says John MacArthur in his book, The MacArthur Bible Handbook.

Are you ready to find out how to "be free?" Join me tomorrow and we will delve in.

*New readers can find the explanation of the headings "Let it glow, grow, and go" on the following post.

Summary of 2 Corinthians

Summary of 2 Corinthians                   

Background:
There was a party in the Corinthian church which opposed Paul, and wanted to take over as their leader, but was actually a false apostle. When the news of these conditions reached Paul at Ephesus he made a brief visit to Corinth in order to deal with them. At this time the personal vendetta against the Apostle Paul himself was shown. Returning to Ephesus, Paul wrote the letter to the church of such a severe nature that he later regretted having written it. This he sent to them by Titus. (Two of the four letters had been lost.) Repentance resulted, so it was a good that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians.
[Resource: Liberty Bible Commentary]


Here are some of the verses I highlighted in my Bible as speaking to me (using KJV):

• He is the God of all comfort (1:3)
• Our lives are a Christ-like faragarance rising up to God. (2:15 NLT)
• Our sufficiency is of God. (3:5)
• The Spirit gives life. (3:6)
• Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (3:16 NLT)
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (3:17)
• We are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. (4:7 NLT)
• We are trouble, not distressed; perplexed, not despaired; persecuted, not forsaken; cast down, not destroyed. (4:8-9)
• We walk by faith, not by sight. (5:7)
• Absent from the body, present with the Lord. (5:8)
• All appear before the judgement seat of God. (5:10)
• We are a new creature in Christ. (5:17)
• God reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ. (5:18)
• We are ambassadors for Christ. (5:20)
• We become the righteousness of God in Christ. (5:21)
• Now (today) is the day of salvation. (6:2)
• We are ministers ( servants) of God. (6:4)
• Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. (6:14)
• We are God's people, His sons and daughters; walk seperated from unbelievers. (6:16-18)
• Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation. (7:10)
• We are rich in Christ because of His generous grace. (8:9 NLT)
• Be honest. (8:21)
• We reap what we sow. (9:6)
• God loves a cheerful giver. (9:7)
• God is all-suffieient, providing all we need by His grace. (9:8)
• Our weapons are spiritual, pulling down strongholds. (10:5)
• Bring captive every thought to obedience of Christ. (10:5)
• God's grace is sufficient; His strength is perfect in weakness. (12:9)
• Examine ourselves. (13:5)
• Be perfect, of good comfort, united, live in peace; and the God of love and  peace shall be
• with you. (13:11)

It has been an enjoyable walk with you through 2 Corinthians. Thank you for your faithfulness.
There have been times of my reflection and confessing to the Lord, but it was needful. Meat can be hared to chew.
See you in Galatians next.