Letters of Paul: 30-Day Reading PlanSample

What Are You Building Your Life On?

People-pleasing is an addiction of sorts. It starts with a craving for approval. Once we’ve experienced the applause and approval of men, we long to hear it again; so we alter our message to fit what’s popular or acceptable — even if we know in our hearts it’s not true.

Truth is not man-made. It’s God sent (Galatians 1:11-12). The wisdom of God is too wise to come from man. The good news is of the Gospel is too good to come from human imagination.

While good vibes and positive thinking can help for a moment, only the Gospel changes us, and those we love from the inside out. That’s why Paul, the writer of Galatians, sent this letter to the church in Galatia. Paul was heartbroken at the thought of them believing anything less than God’s truth, and God feels the same way about you.

God wants more for you than temporary comfort or popularity. Psalm 1 says a life built on God’s truth will equip us for every season.

The man who delights in God’s Word, who meditates on it day and night, “is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3).

In this life, we’ll hear a lot of things that sound good, but only God’s Word helps us hear from the One who is truly good.

Reflect:

• The message Paul brought to Galatia is the same message Jesus entrusted to you. When is the last time you shared the good news with someone in your work or school?
  
• For a lot of people, the fear is not knowing what to say. Paul describes Jesus as the one “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4). If someone asked you who Jesus was or what He did, what would you say?