Love God Greatly - Galatiansনমুনা

Paul receives confirmation and acceptance from the Jewish Christian leaders. Paul wanted to ensure that the gospel message being shared to both Jews and Gentiles was the same. There were false believers sent to the church to see if Paul and the Gentiles were following Jewish laws and regulations and to try to influence them to obey them.

Believers have been freed from bondage of the law. We no longer rely on religious laws or rules for salvation, for justification, for righteousness, or for approval. God the Holy Spirit is sealed within believers on their day of salvation, and He is evidence of our salvation. Because believers have God the Holy Spirit within us, we yield to Him for guidance, teaching, enabling, and power…not the law. However, this freedom and liberty we have should not be used to cause another person to stumble, nor is a believer’s freedom from religious laws a license to sin.

Where are you struggling to walk in the freedom that you have in Christ? Are you imposing your own ‘law’ in judgment of others? For example, “Real Christians must dress like this, must speak like this, must go to church this many times a week, must follow this particular worship style, must read the Bible this many times daily, must listen only to Christian music.” Are you condemning yourself or others because of the inability to keep and follow religious rules?

Father God, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ who has made me free. Lord, I understand that this freedom came at a great price, so prevent me from taking Your sacrifice for me for granted. Lord, I understand that You grow and mature each of us at different rates and through different methods, so please hinder me from denouncing anyone else’s process of sanctification. Lord, keep my heart guarded and fixed on You when anyone attempts to denounce Your work and progress in my life. Make me ultra-sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that I will not stray from unity with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.