EXPAND TO READ: GALATIANS 2 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 16, 21): So often in my faith, I get stuck on the “law” of old, instead of living in my born-again identity in Christ. In this verse, You tell us that if righteousness comes from the law, then Christ died for nothing. Why do I often judge people and even myself by the law when that is not what You’ve called me to do? Why do I give into some of the statements that start something like “A Christian is…” and then feel like I’m a pitiful Christian because I don’t fit into that bubble? Please forgive me for often thinking the law is the way to righteousness, Father. In doing this, I essentially put Christ’s sacrifice to the side and say that the law is more important than Christ and that is not from Your truth. In fact, just the opposite is true as we are to put aside the law and live with, in, and for Christ for our righteousness and salvation. Help me to be better, Father, and remind me in those moments that I do want to delve back into the law that Christ is the only way so I must keep my focus on Him.
PROMISE (verse 20): This promise has been repeated to me so many times, yet I still struggle to truly understand and embrace it. You promise us that Christ loved us so much that He willingly gave Himself up for us; for me. I think my main struggle with this promise is that I just find it difficult to truly believe that someone can love me that much. I am so broken and have done many bad things in this life, yet Jesus still loved me so much more than I can fathom that He gave His life for my eternal salvation. How amazing is that? I am worthy of being loved this much and I just need to be better at accepting this as Your truth and not my own. I need to be better at embracing that Jesus loved me enough to give His life up for me so I can live mine. Continue to remind me of this promise as You already have been doing, Father. Continue to work in me so that one day I will truly and fully embrace this truth and promise from You.
ATTITUDE (verse 14): I do struggle at times with living a righteous life and living in my faith. In this verse, You tell us that if we are living like Gentiles, but reaching out to Gentiles to live like Jews, then how will we ever compel Gentiles to live like Jews if we are not doing so? Help me to be better at embracing a righteous mindset towards how I live my life, Father. Help me to be better at being the example for others to live by, so that when they see me they see You through me. I do not want people to see my old self; rather I want them to see the new creation I have become through Jesus Christ and my new, born-again identity in Christ. Help me to be more willing and accepting of everything You want me to be in this new identity, Father, so that my past no longer cripples and hinders the future You want for me.
COMMAND (verses 15-16): This brings me back to my sin confession for the day that I also feel is a command. At the very start of these verses, You tell us that we should know that no one is justified by their works of the law, but solely by our faith in Jesus Christ. Why does this world struggle to truly believe in this? Why do we all struggle with legalism in our faith, at times, when it comes to salvation and righteousness? It seems that if we are to live out our faith, then we should not be living it by the law because then we will all be lost. If we live out our faith for Jesus, with Jesus, and in Jesus, then our faith and salvation will define itself as Jesus alone gives us eternal salvation and teaches us, through the Spirit and Your truth, how we are to be living our lives.
EXAMPLE (verses 15-21): Throughout this entire last paragraph of this scripture, You give us such a powerful example to live by. So much so, that the majority of these verses have been my focus for today’s quiet time and journaling. You tell us that we are to live our lives for Christ and not for the old law. You tell us that Christ died for our salvation and not in vain, so if we do not choose to live by Him, then we are essentially saying that He died for nothing. You tell us that we have been crucified with Christ and that we no longer live ourselves, but Christ lives in us. Help me to be better at embracing this example in my life, Father. Help me to embrace all the qualities of Christ in my heart, so that I can live in Him and not in my old self, especially when this life’s stressful moments arise.
*DAILY NOTE: There are so many great lessons in today’s quiet time, but all of them are focused around living our lives in Christ and not in the law of old. I feel this is a struggle for most Christians nowadays and obviously even back then. We often try to define the “laws” of our faith by stating that a Christian lives like this and that. By doing this, we lose focus on the real meaning of Christianity, which is in the first five letters of the word—Christ. If we live our lives for Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, then that is the true definition of Christianity; not whether or not we hit thousands of checkboxes along the way. That way of living out our faith is the old way of the law, which You have stated many times is no longer relevant as none of us would be sufficient to be saved if the law of old were still the only path to salvation. Thank You for giving us Jesus and for His sacrifice, Father. Thank You for providing clarity on how we are to live out our faith in this chapter of Galatians, Father. I am a new, born-again creation in Christ and I need to remember this and be reminded of this daily so that I do not stray as often as I have in the past.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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