Galatians

So,
my beautiful wife and I have been reading Galatians together for the past few weeks, and in an effort to write again, I thought I would just share a few thoughts from our reading and discussion.

Gal. 1.10
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Alot of verses like this are ones that we gloss over. We pass over them in order to find something deeper or more profound. If we read the scriptures with honesty and hearts open to the probing of the Spirit we have to let statements like these pierce us.

The truth of this passage is that we call ourselves Christians, or "little christs", we take the name of Jesus onto our selves and use his title as our title. We say that we have given Him our lives and that we no longer live for oursleves. The true question that we have to ask ourselves is "Where does my approval come from?" "Where does my validation come from?" Most of the time I am seeking the approval of those around me with no thought for the life lived by Christ in example for us and no thought for the ramifications of holy scripture upon my life. The word of God simply says that if we seek the approval of man we are not servants of Christ. The book of Galatians, as we will see, is all about the freedom that Christ gives us. To seek the approval of anyone other than him is to cast ourselves back into bondage. Life in Christ is not life of rules or of imprisonment, but life in the freedom intended for man by the Creator God.

Above all things, if we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we are to serve him and live in the life of love and freedom that we know he approves. Above bosses, above spouses, above children, above ANYONE else, Christ calls us to seek Him. From THAT pursuit alone are we even capable of loving anyone or anything else to the proper proportion or potential. I cannot love my wife or son or anything well enough if I do not love Jesus First!

Praise and Glory be to God the Father, Son, and Spirit, for his wonderful freedom and love!


-tjl