AUGUST 21 READING…GALATIANS 6
Paul gives us a couple of important principles as he closes out his letter to the Galatians. First, we should do everything we can to keep the unity of the body of Christ. The one thing that will destroy that unity is sin. Paul tells us that if a person has fallen into sin, those who are walking by the Spirit are to gently restore them. The goal of any church discipline is not to catch people and throw them out of the church, but if someone falls into sin our desire should be to restore them. They are of course required to repent and turn from that sin in order to be restored…and the rest of us need to be careful that we don’t fall into sin ourselves in attempting to restore a fallen person. We are not to compare ourselves to one another, for that leads to self-righteousness…but our standard is Jesus, and we are to always endeavor to grow to be like Him. The second principle that Paul teaches is that whatever we sow, that is what we will reap. Makes great sense…you cannot plant an apple seed and expect an orange tree to grow. It’s true for us also…if we sow sin and discord, that is what we will get. If we sow goodness, care, love, and truth…then that is what we will get. Paul closes his letter by reminding us that true faith never begins on the outside…our faith begins on the inside, and it always moves to changing the outside.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…EPHESIANS 1
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