ODB: the galatia church
November 29, 2009
READ: Galatians 3:1-12
Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? —Galatians 3:3
I was driving through the countryside when I spotted a church building whose name surprised me. It said, “The Galatia Church.” The name caught my attention because I was certain no one would choose to name a church this unless it was a geographic necessity.
A study of the biblical book of Galatians reveals that it is Paul’s most fiery letter—criticizing the people for legalism, self-effort, and the exchange of grace for a different gospel. Galatia was not exactly the kind of church that you would see as an example to be followed.
This is true because the Galatians were trying to please God through their own efforts rather than by reliance on Him. Paul’s charge against them was this: “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (3:3).
Just as we cannot earn a relationship with God by our works, neither can we develop spiritually through our own strength. Paul’s reminder to the Galatians (and us) is this: Dependence on God through the work of the Spirit in our lives is at the core of our walk with Christ.
If we think we can become like Jesus by our own efforts, we are, like the Galatians, fooling ourselves. — Bill Crowder
The Holy Spirit is the Christian’s power supply.
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Loading ...ODJ: seasons
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven (v.1).
READ: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The Great Migration is considered one of the grandest spectacles in the natural world. More than two million mammals participate in this annual parade. The seasonal conditions of the Serengeti, a vast East Africa ecosystem that spreads from Tanzania’s plains to Kenya’s Masai Mara, establishes the timing of the event.
Leading the procession are the zebras, usually about 200,000 in number. The striped beauties are followed by the main attraction, about one-and-a half million wildebeests. And bringing up the rear are nearly 500,000 Thomson’s gazelles.
The Great Migration is a brilliant display of God’s creativity and His execution of perfectly timed seasons in the lives of all things, including four-legged herbivores.
Seasons were created by God in the beginning, when He said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them mark off the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth” (Genesis 1:14-15).
The psalmist acknowledged that it was God who “made the moon to mark the seasons” and ordained when the sun would set (Psalm 104:19). And Daniel chimed in with: “[God] controls the course of world events” (2:21).
Regarding the precision of the seasons on earth, God Himself asks us: “Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?” (Job 38:31-33).
Today, reflect on the seasons of life you’ve journeyed through thus far and thank God for His perfect timing. —Roxanne Robbins
What season of life has God brought you through? How have you experienced the perfection of His will?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
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November 28, 2009
READ: Proverbs 26:20-28
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. —Proverbs 26:20
Christian industrialist and inventor R. G. LeTourneau is known for his enormous earth-moving machines. One of his products was known simply by the name, “Model G.” A prospective buyer, hoping to stump a salesman, asked, “What does the ‘G’ stand for?”
“I guess the G stands for gossip,” was the salesman’s quick reply. “Because, like gossip, this machine moves a lot of dirt, and moves it fast!”
The Proverbs have a lot to say about gossip: Those who gossip are untrustworthy (11:13) and should be avoided (20:19). Gossip separates the closest of friends (16:28) and keeps relational strife boiling (18:8). It pours fuel on the coals of conflict, feeding the flames of hurt and misunderstanding (26:21-22).
The Hebrew word for “gossip” or “talebearing” actually means “whispering that is damaging.” We fool ourselves into thinking that those juicy, whispered comments here and there are harmless. But gossip leaves behind a wide swath of destruction and is never a victimless crime. Someone is always hurt. So here’s a word to the wise: “Where there is no talebearer, strife ceases” (Prov. 26:20). Let’s leave the dirt-moving to big machines. Put the shovels away and revel in the joy of gossip-free relationships! — Joe Stowell
Destroy gossip by ignoring it.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Joy of Christmas: A King is Born
Submitted By Patricia Roach, Barbados
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