Sunday - New Birth Brings Freedom - Galatians 4:8-20 -2/12/17

The apostle Paul commended the Galatians for not rejecting him, even though his condition was revolting (he doesn't explain what was wrong with him).


Such caring was what Jesus meant when he called us to serve the homeless, hungry, sick, & imprisoned as if they were Jesus himself. Do you avoid those in pain or facing difficulty - or are you willing to care for them as if they were Jesus Christ himself?


If you feel guilty & inadequate check your focus. Are you putting your faith in Christ or in rule-keeping?


The apostle Paul did not gain great popularity when he rebuked the Galatians for turning away from their first faith in Christ. Human nature hasn't changed much - we still get angry when we're scolded. But don't write off someone who challenges you. There may be truth in what he says. Receive his words with humility, carefully think them over. If you discover you need to change an attitude or action, take steps to do it.


"They" in verse seventeen refers to false teachers who claimed to be religious authorities, experts in Judaism & Christianity. Appealing to the believers' desire to do what is right, they drew quite a following. The apostle Paul said, however, that they were wrong & that their motives were selfish. False teachers are often respectable & persuasive. That is why all teachings need to be checked with the Bible.


The apostle Paul led many people to Christ & helped them mature spiritually. Perhaps one reason for his success as a spiritual father was the deep concern he felt for his spiritual children; he compared his pain over their faithlessness to the pain of childbirth. We should have the same intense care for those to whom we are spiritual parents. When you lead people to Christ remember to stand by them to help them grow.

Reference summary used from the Life Application KJV Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

Saturday - Led by the Spirit of Christ - Romans 8:12-17 -2/11/17

"Mortify the deeds of the body" in verse thirteen means to put to death or regard as dead the power of sin in your body.


The apostle Paul uses adoption to illustrate the believer's new relationship with God. In Roman culture, the adopted person lost all rights in his old family & gained all the rights of a legitimate child in his new family. He became a full heir to his new father's estate. Likewise, when a person becomes a Christian, he gains all the privileges & responsibilities of a child in God's family. One of these outstanding privileges is being led by the Spirit. We may not always feel like we belong to God, but the Holy Spirit is our witness. His inward presence reminds us of who we are & encourages us with his love.


Because we are God's children, we share in great treasures as joint-heirs. God has already given us his best gifts: his Son, forgiveness, & eternal life; & he encourages us to ask him for whatever we need.


There is a price for being identified with Jesus. Along with the great treasures, the apostle Paul mentions the suffering that Christians must face. In many parts of today's world, Christians face pressure just as severe as those faced by Christ's first followers. Even in countries where Christianity is tolerated or encouraged Christians must not become complacent. Nothing we suffer however, can compare to the great price Jesus paid to save us.

Reference summary used from the Life Application Bible KJV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

Friday - The Spirit Brings Life - Romans 8:1-11 - 2/10/17

The "flesh" as used throughout this chapter refers not to our human bodies, but to the principle & power of sin. Sin is present & often operating in our body, not to be equaled with the body.


"Not guilty; let him go free"- what would those words mean to you if you were on death row? The fact is that the whole human race is on death row, justly condemned for repeatedly breaking God's holy Law. Without Jesus we would have no hope at all. But thank God! He has delivered us not guilty & has offered us freedom from sin & power to do his will.


The Spirit of life is the Holy Spirit. He was present at the creation of the world, & he is the power behind the rebirth of every Christian. He gives us the power we need to live the Christian life.


Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins. In Old Testament times, animal sacrifices were continually offered at the Temple. The sacrifices showed the Israelites the seriousness of sin: blood had to be shed before sins could be pardoned. But animal blood could not really remove sins. The sacrifices could only point to Jesus' sacrifice, which paid the penalty for all sins.


Daily we must consciously choose to center our lives lives on God. Use the Bible to discover God's guidelines, & then follow them. When the Holy Spirit points out what is right, do it eagerly.


A Christian is anyone who has the Spirit of God living in him. If you have sincerely trusted Christ for for your salvation & acknowledged him as Lord, then the Holy Spirit has come into your life, & you are a Christian. When the Holy Spirit is working within you, you will believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son & that eternal life comes through him; you will begin to act as Christ directs; you will find help in your daily problems & in your praying; you will be empowered to serve God & do his will; & you will become part of God's plan to build up his church.


The Holy Spirit is God's promise or guarantee of eternal life for those who believe in him. He is in us now by faith, & by faith we are certain to live with Christ forever.

Reference summary used from the Life Application KJV Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

Thursday - The Cost of Being a Disciple - Luke 9:23-27,57-62 - 2/9/17

Christians follow their Lord by imitating his life & obeying his commands. To take up the cross means to obey selfish desires to use our resources of time & money our own way, & to choose our own direction in life. Following Christ is costly now, but in the long run it is well worth the pain & effort.


Nothing material can compensate for the loss of eternal life. Jesus' disciples are not to use their lives on earth for their own pleasure, but to spend them serving God & people.


Luke's Greek audience would have found it difficult to understand a God who could die, just as Jesus' Jewish audience would have been perplexed by a Messiah who would let himself be captured. Both would be ashamed of Jesus if they did not look past his death to his glorious resurrection & Second Coming. Then they would see him not as a loser but as the Lord of the universe who through his death brought salvation to all people.


When Jesus said some would not die without seeing the Kingdom, he was referring to (1) Peter, James, & John, who would witness the transfiguration eight days later, or in a broader sense to (2) all who would witness the resurrection & ascension, or (3) all who would take part in the spread of the church after Pentecost. Jesus listeners were not going to have to wait for another, future Messiah - the Kingdom was among them, & it would soon come in power.


What does Jesus want from us? Total dedication, not half-hearted commitment. We can't pick pick & choose among Jesus' ideas & follow him selectively; we have to accept the cross along with the crown, judgment as well as mercy. We must count the cost & be willing to abandon everything else that has given us security. With our focus on Jesus, we should allow allow nothing to distract us from the manner of living he calls good & true.

Reference summary used from the Life Application KJV Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

Wednesday - Power & Strength through Weakness - II Corinthians 12:7b-10 - 2/8/17

We don't know what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was because he doesn't tell us. Whatever it was, it was a chronic & debilitaling physical problem, which at times kept him from working. This thorn was a hindrance to his ministry, & he prayed for its removal; but God refused. Paul was a very self-sufficient person, so this thorn was difficult for him. It kept Paul humble, reminded him of his need for constant contact with God, and benefited those around him as they saw God at work in his life.


Although God did not remove Paul's physical affliction, he promised to demonstrate his power in Paul. The fact that God's power shows up in weak people should give us courage. We must rely on God for our effectiveness rather than on simple energy, effort, or talent. Our weakness not only helps develop Christian character; it also deepens our worship, for in admitting our weakness, we affirm God's strength.


God does not intend for us to seek to be weak, passive, or ineffective - life provides enough hindrances & setbacks without us creating them. When they come, we must depend on God.


Paul was not merely revealing his feelings; he was defending his authoring as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He was hurt that the church in Corinth doubted & questioned him, & he defended himself for the cause of the Gospel, not to satisfy his ego.

Reference summary used from the Life Application KJV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

Tuesday - A Faithful Heir Will Succeed - I Kings 2:1-4 - 2/7/17

God's conditional promise was that David & his descendants would remain in office as kings only when they honored & obeyed him. When David's descendants failed to do this, they lost the throne.


God's unconditional promise was that David's line would go on forever. This was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David who was also the eternal Son of God.


David, whose life exemplified obedience, gave well-seasoned advice to his son, the next king. It would be up to Solomon to follow it.

Reference summary used from the Life Application KJV Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois

Sunday ... Re-Created To Live In Harmony - Galatians 3:26-4:7 -2/5/17

In Roman society, a youth coming of age laid aside the robe of childhood & put on a new toga. This represented his move into adult citizenship with full rights & responsibilities. Apostle Paul combines this understanding with baptism. By becoming Christians & being baptized, they were becoming spiritually grown up & ready to take on the privileges & responsibilities of the mature. You have laid aside the old clothes of the Law, & now you are putting on Christ's new robe of righteousness.


Jewish males greeted each new day by prayer, Lord, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. The role of women was enhanced by Christianity. Faith in Christ transcends these differences & makes all believers one in Christ.


The original covenant with Abraham was intended for the whole world, not just for his descendants. All believers partake of this covenant & are blessed as children of Abraham.


The apostle Paul uses the illustration of slavery to show that before Christ came & died for sins, people were in bondage to the Law.


Thinking they could be saved by it, they became enslaved to trying - & failing - to keep it. The Good News is that we who were once slaves are now God's very own children with an intimate relationship with him. Because of Christ, there is no reason to be afraid of God. We can come boldly into his presence, knowing he will welcome us as his family members.


True Christianity: Christians are those who believe inwardly & outwardly that Jesus' death has allowed God to offer them forgiveness & eternal life as a gift. They have accepted that gift by faith & are seeking to live a life of obedient gratitude for what God has done for them.

Christianity is both private & public, heart-belief & mouth-confession. Our relationship to God & the power he provides result in obedience. Having received the gift of forgiveness & eternal life, we are now daily challenged to live that life with his help.


When the fulness of the time was come "God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins. For centuries the Jews were wondering when their Messiah would come - but God's timing was perfect.


Jesus was born of a woman - he was human. He was born as a Jew - he was subject to God's Law & fulfilled it perfectly. Thus Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because, although he was fully human, he never sinned. His death bought freedom for us who were enslaved to sin so we could be adopted into God's family.


Under Roman law, an adopted child was guaranteed all legal rights to his father's property. "Abba" is an Aramaic word for father. It was used by Christ in prayer in Mark 14:36. As adopted children of God, we share with Jesus all rights to God's resources. As God's heirs, we can claim what he has provided for us - our full identity as his children.

Reference summary used from the Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois