And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9).

I never grow weary of eating homegrown tomatoes. The planting, watering, weeding, and waiting all wearied me, but the eating never does. I know that I cannot have one without the other. To reap tomatoes in late summer, I had to plant, water, weeds and wait through the prior months. In Galatians, Paul is telling us life is the same. Goodness is reaped in due season. Goodness grows in the soil of consistency (not giving up). Goodness is worth the wait. The world waited for through millennia for Jesus Christ. He was worth the wait. Goodness always is.

What good will you sow today? What good sown years ago will you harvest today?

The Day of Rest

Today is Sunday and the blogger resteth. Go to worship! See you tomorrow!

Daily Devotions: many choices have predictable consequences

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8, ESV)

Arguably the greatest theological mystery is summed up in the great question: why God? Why is there evil? Why did God permit sin? What did God create beings capable of sin? Why do bad things happen to good people? All of these "why's" are facets of the great WHY GOD?

Not everything is a mystery. Today's reading points out a non-mystery: many choices have predictable consequences. In agriculture, You reap what you sow. Plant a radish, get a radish. Plant weeds, get weeds. In life, if you spend more than you earn, you will go broke. If you cheat on your taxes, you will end up in jail. If you constantly show up late for work, you will get fired. If you don't study, you'll get low grades. If you hang around with the wrong crowd, you will end up in trouble. As we say, this is not rocket science.

Some evils are a mystery, but many are not. If you are sowing weeds, don't be surprised if your garden is unpleasant...and don't blame God. Instead, sow some good seed. Live within your means or work hard for better means! Be faithful. Be on time. Study hard. Choose good friends! Above all, believe in God. Faith is the best seed of all!

Today, sow some good seed! Make some good choices!

Daily Devotion: The First Rule of Prayer

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (Galatians 6:7, ESV)

Martin Luther's first rule of prayer was "Don't lie to God" (attributed to Luther. Apologies, I have not been able to find the precise citation).  Since God knows everything, lying to Him sounds at face value ridiculous, but nonetheless we do it all the time. The most obvious lies we tell God are about our own sins and their consequences. We act falsely (we sow weeds) and then we shocked when it turns about badly (we reap problems).

Today, first: remember God's grace! He hears even the prayers you forget to speak and puts the best construction on the ones we do. Second: make every effort to "tell it like it is" when you speak to God, remembering Luther's first rule of prayer.

Daily Devotion: teachers

Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. (Galatians 6:6, ESV)

What do you value? Often I will not go to the movies because the movie in question is not worth $12 to me. I might rent the same movie from Redbox for $1.50. For example, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean One in the theater. I rented Pirates Four. That is a measure of the value I place on those two movies.

The spiritual question is what value to you place upon those who teach you the Word of God? Value is (of course) more than money. Money is one measure of value. Honor, respect, and gratitude are others. Think about those who teach you God's word (I have such teachers just as you do). Have we valued them as we ought?

Today, share some good thing with those who teach you the word. You could pray for them, call them/email/write them to thank them, and (yes) send them an offering or gift as a tangible expression of your love.

Daily Devotion: indepedence and interdependence

Paul writes both "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" and, a mere three verses later "For each will have to bear his own load" (Galatians 6:2 and 6:5, ESV). Which is it? Are we to "bear one another’s burdens" or each bear his/her own? And the answer is...yes.

The Bible teaches both independence and interdependence. Regarding independence, Paul writes,

"But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one" (1 Thessalonians 4:10b–12, ESV).  Regarding interdependence, the Bible repeatedly speaks of Christians collectively as a body, meaning a organism built of interdependent organs with Christ as the head. Both are true.

In which areas of life do you need more independence? In which areas should you seek to be more interdependent? Ask God for answers to these questions in prayer today.

Someone made a mistake...

Brothers [and Sisters], if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1, ESV)

Everyone makes mistakes: people with spiritual beliefs and people without spiritual beliefs. Everyone makes mistakes. Paul makes two important points about this truth. First, people with a rich spiritual life should take the initiative. "You who are spiritual should...." The burden to help is yours. As Christ helped you with your mistakes, you should help others.

Second, our approach should be gentleness. Our approach should demonstrate kindness, modesty, humility, and mildness. Our approach should never be described as rough, hard, violent, angry, aggressive, or contentious.

Today, seek God's spirit of gentleness in your dealings with others.

The Day of Rest

Sunday! The blogger rests. Go to church. See you tomorrow!

In Step

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)

When I was a boy, I played various instruments in a marching band (euphonium, trumpet, snare, bass, and glockenspiel). I was a decent musician, but a poor marcher. I was always falling out of set. Two left feet. The quickest way to get back in step was to skip. However, as an adolescent boy, the mere thought of skipping in public mortified me. What would people think if they saw me skipping? I had this choice: look goofy skipping or look goofy by being out of step. I decided being out of step was worse. So I skipped. Exactly no one noticed. All my worrying about what people would think was unnecessary. I was back in step and no one even noticed.

I often wonder how people stay out of step with God because they are afraid of what other would think? Don't be afraid. Follow your heart. Skip into church next week. You have my permission!

Fruity People

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Paul lists eight virtues that arise from the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance (meaning cutting lots of slack), kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I meet a lot of people who struggle with one or more of these. I struggle with not a few myself. These virtues are like fruit and fruit doesn't just appear on trees. Fruit takes time. Depending on the species, fruit begins as buds and flowers in the spring, followed by hard, sour, inedible fruit in the summer. Autumn at last brings the harvest. In winter the fruit is stored away. These virtues are like that too. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control don't just appear. God grows them in us over time. We should always seek them, but (as the bumper sticker says) be patient...God is still working on us.

One Word

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(Galatians 5:14, ESV)

One word: love. Greek: agape meaning selfless, no-strings-attached love. If anyone wants to know what being a Christian is all about, its love. God's love for us. Our love for one another. Even love for self. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love." Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). John writes that God is love (1 John 4:8). Tender love. Tough love. Honest love. Forgiving love. Selfless love. Risk-taking love. Vulnerable love. Faithful love. That's us. Christians are lovers.

Freedom

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13, ESV)

You are completely free. The bad things in your past are washed away.
You are completely free. You will not truly die. You will leave earth and go to heaven forever.
You are completely free. You will not go to hell. Heaven is waiting for you.
You are completely free. You cannot fail. God is on your side.

Every one of those statements is true in Christ. Now what will you do? What you will do is love and serve.  Remember: for freedom God has set us free (Galatians 5:1)

You're a new lump (it's good thing, trust me)

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9, ESV)

What a funny little phrase! Yeast has way of spreading and once the yeast gets into the dough, it is nigh impossible to get it out again. Only God can get the yeast out of the dough once its in...and he has! Yeast is sin. You are the lump (nothing personal, just quoting). Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:7–8, ESV)" You're a new lump. Rejoice!

God, is that you?

This persuasion is not from him who calls you. (Galatians 5:8, ESV)

How do I know it's God talking and not just my imagination or worse, an evil voice? How do we learn to recognize any voice? We learn to distinguish the voices of people with whom we have active, caring relationships. There is the key: active, caring relationships. The best way to learn to differentiate God's voice from other voices is by having an active, caring relationship with God. How do you do that? It's really very simple: regular communication.

• First, talk to God every chance you get. In the car, turn off the radio and talk to him. Just say, "Hey, God. how's your day going? Let me tell you a little about about mine...." 
• Second, read your Bible everyday. Take it out at free moments. Read a little bit whenever you get a chance (like you are doing now). 
• Third, join a group of people who read and study the Bible together. Check your church for a small group.  
• Finally, go to church every Sunday. 

You will learn what God's voice sounds like and you will learn to distinguish his voice from others.

The Day of Rest

Today is Sunday. The Blogger rests. Celebrate God at your place of worship!  See you tomorrow!

What really matters to God (Galatians 5:6, ESV)

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (Galatians 5:6, ESV)

What really matters to God? Faith working in love. That's it: faith, work, and love. In fact, its not three ideas, it's one big idea called FAITHWORKLOVE. You can't have faith and hate people (1 John 4:20). To have faith is to love people. You can't have faith and not do good works (James 2:17).  You can't love without belief (1 John 4:19). What God wants from us, God gives us. God gives FAITHWORKLOVE.

Do some FAITHWORKLOVE today. Note how FAITHWORKLOVE is active in you and in others.

Eagerly waiting (Galatians 5:5, ESV)

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. (Galatians 5:5, ESV)

What a funny combination of words! Eagerly waiting. The idea is something like...

• You are eight years old and it's 7PM on December, 24th. Remember that feeling! You couldn't sleep because you were too excited but if you didn't fall asleep the night would never pass. You eagerly wait Christmas morning.
• Its mid-June. You are in seventh grade. It's the last day of school before summer break. You are in the last class of the year. The hands on the clock are moving so slowly. You eagerly wait for summer break.
• You are twenty-six years old. You are in the back of the church in a wedding gown, standing beside your father, the both of you eagerly waiting for the doors to open, waiting for the people to stand. In the front of the church, a young man is also eagerly waiting. 

All of us are eagerly waiting. Not for Christmas. Not for summer break. Not for marriage. All of us are eagerly waiting for righteousness. We are eagerly waiting for an end to sinning. We are eagerly waiting for an end to evil. We are eagerly waiting for heaven. We are eagerly waiting for Jesus.

Today, expect Jesus everywhere you go. Eagerly wait for him by looking for him everywhere. Look for him in every face. Look for him every second.

Freedom (Galatians 5:1, ESV)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV)

Too often, the faith gets reduced to a list of rules. There are rules, of course (The Ten Commandments, for example), but rules are not the essence of faith. In fact, if the rules become the center of religion, then the faith is lost. Rules (though important) do not create faith. Rules are the opposite of faith. Do this and you will live. There's a rule and it requires no faith whatsoever. It only requires action. This is not freedom. This is slavery.

Faith is different. Faith is freedom. Faith does not require action. Rather, faith motivates action. People of real faith are extremely action-oriented. but not because they have to. People of faith are action-oriented because the love putting faith into action. I believe and therefore I serve. I believe and therefore I love. I believe and therefore I sacrifice. I believe and therefore I rejoice.

Today, activate your faith. Do something positive not because you have to but because you believe in Jesus Christ.