As delightful as the holidays are, obstacles occasionally arise that challenge my joy. I am certain that we all know what that feels like on some level. In dealing with these obstacles, I have concluded that abiding in joy and peace is worth fighting for. There are people in our lives that will try to rob us of our joy and I believe that it offends God to let them (Phil.4:4-8). It is so easy to react to situations instead of fighting for what God has given us through His precious Son, Jesus Christ.
I did a study on Galatians last fall and the word "freedom" is used continuously. The antagonist to freedom is sin. Sin comes in many forms and someone always gets hurt. All of our relationships will be affected by whether or not we walk in the freedom that Christ has called us into. Galatians 5:6 says "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Our faith is meant to be expressed through love; a love that is pure and free from the hurtfulness of sin. When we love without strings attached, there is such a freedom there. I don't know about you but there are some people I would rather punch in the liver rather than love. There are going to be moments of stress and possibly even anger this season. I pray that we would fight hard for our faith to be expressed through love.
Having faith like a child is held up as the standard for faith according to Jesus. My son follows me around the house with his unbreakable ornament because he loves me and because there is joy in what we are doing. As a follower of Christ Jesus, our joy is complete in Him. Our peace is complete in Him. He has already fought for us to have that fullness. I pray that we would all walk in such a manner as my sweet child. We follow One who has brought joy to the world. Don't let anyone rob that. Galatians 5:1 tells us that, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Stand firm in the fullness of joy, peace, freedom, and love that Christ has called us into and be a blessing to those around you.
Merry Christmas! Try not to punch anyone is the liver!
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I love practical advise. How do I abide in joy and peace? How do I not let others rob my joy? I have a few ideas here. Talk to Jesus a lot. If you need to step away for a bit in order to maintain your peace, do it. If you can say a prayer in your heart while standing in front of someone you want to smack, do it (pray, not smack). If you know you will be in a situation that will challenge your spirit, pray for future grace and spend some time reading 1 John, Galatians, a Psalm, or whatever you need. Do what you need to do to abide in Christ; be proactive so that you don't find yourself merely reacting to a situation. Own your thoughts, concerns, and behaviors and talk to Jesus about your thoughts, concerns, and behaviors. Last semester I was asked to help write discussion questions for our study on Galatians. I thought that I would share them here to give some immediate encouragement. Feel free to post your answer and any other thoughts you may have.
The church in Galatia was struggling in their faith because there were some Jewish Christians who were teaching that salvation was through faith plus works. They were stating that repenting from your sin and trusting Christ alone as your Lord and Savior was not enough. You also had to follow all the 613 laws. One of those laws involved "trimming" cowboy parts (YOWZA!). The church in Galatia began to believe these lies. Paul writes to encourage them to stand firm in the truth, grace, and freedom that they have through faith in Christ alone.
Read through Galatians 1:1-10
1) What are your initial thoughts regarding this text?
2) What do we know about Paul from verses 1-3 and why do you think it’s significant that he opens the letter in this manner?
3) Read verses 6 &7
Where does your significance lie? Are there any areas of your life where you are placing your faith and worth in something other than Christ?
-example: serving in the Church
4) In verses 8 & 9, Paul uses the word “accursed”, or, “to be devoted to destruction” (NAS commentary), twice. Why is this significant?
5) Everyone wants to be accepted. Does anyone want to share how they have struggled with seeking favor from others over honoring God?
