Eph. 2

I like bicycles. I have over 20 of them. I love to work on them and get them looking and running good. Each one has a character of its own.

You and I are similar. God wants to get us looking and running good. We are His project, His workmanship, His masterpiece. He has the right tools and processes to get us the way He wants us.

Another illustration for this verse … we are His poem. He is writing a message through our lives. We are also His painting. He is creating something of beauty through our lives.

We just need to submit to the Master Mechanic, the Celebrated Author, the Heavenly Artist. HE knows how He wants us to turn out.

Gal. 6; Ephesians 1

A popular and moving recent church chorus is entitled, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.” What does that mean? Let’s look at how several translations express it:

• the eyes of our understanding
• that God will open your minds to see His truth
• that you will have deeper insight
• that the perception of your heart be enlightened
• that you may receive the inner illumination of the Spirit
• that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do

I think we get the picture. The Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.” [Ps. 119:18] This can be our request of God every time we read or hear His Word.

Gal. 5

My brother had auto-pilot installed in his airplane. He loves it. He can set his destination and allow the technology to fly his plane within 200 feet of the runway. Wow! A friend of mine was in auto-pilot in the Air Force, They get within 10 feet of their runway.

Walking in the Spirit is like auto-pilot. It will navigate you though life in a way that pleases the Lord. The Holy Spirit will NEVER lead you wrong. We just need the grace to be obedient to His Voice. The more you are obedient, the clearer and stronger His Voice becomes. Moses followed the Lord’s Voice and he led the Children of Israel through the wilderness.

Have a frank discussion with the Lord and ask Him to make His Voice clear to you. I think He would like that.

Gal. 4

Many believe Paul’s thorn in the flesh was to do with his eyes. He needed large letters to read, and the Galatians had offered to give him their eyes. He must have had an obvious need. Were they damaged when he was stoned? Did he have a congenital condition? We don’t really know. They were an issue that he had to deal with.

You may have a thorn in the flesh or a physical issue to deal with. I know I DO. Nevertheless we go on. We live and are sustained by the faith He gives us. If we have a greater need, we must rely more fully upon His grace and power to live. My physical challenge requires me to depend fully upon the Lord’s life within me.

Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do NOTHING!”

Gal. 3

Live by faith … or the Law?

Through faith we receive all that God has to offer. It’s a growth process. We begin by faith, progress by faith, and will conclude by faith. In the Law (or any system of merit through works) if you mess up at all, you have violated the entire system.

Paul was so vexed by the Galatian believers because they thought they advanced with God through good works and compliance to the Law. His letter, Galatians, attempted to correct their error and get them walking by faith, the best deal in the universe.

P.S. The major spiritual truths of God’s Word are so often the themes of great hymns of the Christian faith. We don’t hear these hymns any more in contemporary worship services, sadly. That’s one reason why I like to expose my readers to some of these hymns when they come to my mind.

Gal. 2

It is easy to become entangled in slavery to a system of dos and don’ts thinking you are becoming a better Christian. We should rather be slaves to faith. Paul said, “The life I now live … I live BY THE FAITH of the Son of God.” He didn’t brag, “I haven’t eaten pork in many years.” (Actually, observing the dietary laws is healthy)

We are rather to be slaves to righteousness, slaves to God’s will. Romans 6 expounds on this form of slavery. We WILLINGLY become slaves to Christ. He is our Lord and Master. His instructions come from His Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 1

Christ was sent to rescue and deliver us from this present evil age by providing His blood to wash away our sin. We are IN this world, but no longer OF it.

We may be getting too attached to this age when we get all worked up about politics. (I;m speaking to myself) Instead, our focus should primarily be upon Kingdom work … sharing the Gospel, missions, helping the poor etc. Instead of recruiting for our political party, we need to be adding to God’s Kingdom daily those who would be saved.

Current events only expose how evil this age truly is.

2 Cor. 13

When any Christian is overtaken in a fault, we are to do what we can to restore that person to a healthy relationship with Christ and the Church. We shouldn’t execute our wounded. We shouldn’t hold bitter, vengeful grudges indefinitely. In fact, if we consider ourselves spiritual, we are instructed to restore such an one. [Gal. 6:1]

“Strive” is the operative word here. [2 Cor. 13:11] This implies persistent, significant effort.

The person who was initially chastised in the Church at Corinth was living in sexual sin which was being tolerated. That person had been turned over to Satan for buffeting, but had evidently repented and sought forgiveness and restoration. It’s the nature of Christ to receive and restore repentant sinners. It should be our nature also.

2 Cor. 12

Paul was so absorbed and committed to his function as an apostle that he had no room for pride in his role. This is the way Christian leaders should comport themselves. They should put all their energies into their job caring for people that they draw no attention to themselves.

A good Christian leader knows that their greatest reward can and will only come from the Lord Himself in the Hereafter. That is more than enough for them. They don’t seek or need the approval of men.

And (Jesus) sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. [Mark 9:35]

2 Cor. 11

I complain when I get a headache. Then, when I read Paul’s litany of trials, I am ashamed. [vv. 23-28]

No doubt he will receive a great reward in the hereafter for his suffering. It would have been easy for him to say, “This is too difficult. It must not be God’s will.” Nevertheless, he persevered on to perform his duties as an apostle.

Christ Himself suffered greatly for our behalf. Let us endure and fight the good fight of faith, looking unto Jesus the Author and Fiinisher of our faith.