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The discomfort of loving…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Living under the law is pretty easy, pretty cut and dried: Do this. Don’t do that. End of discussion. Living under the law of love is much more difficult. Love reacts to individual people, to where they are, to what they need. There is no cut and dried behavior, though there are certainly guidelines. Loving can be messy and contentious and just plain difficult. Following the law carries none of these challenges.

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

But God didn’t create us for mindless law abiding, for taking the easy way. He didn’t gift us with His grace to make us automatons of law. He made us wonderfully, uniquely, messily individual, and He calls us to love as He loves us: completely, wholeheartedly.

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Precious Lord, Thank You that You didn’t create us to be mindless slaves to the law. Forgive me that sometimes I long for the ease of law-abiding instead of the discomfort of loving. Remove my heart of stone and replace it with a heart of fierce love for You, a heart like Yours. Draw me closer. Amen.

Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Have a blessed day.

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What it means to be adopted…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 4:4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law….

My niece is a beautiful reminder of what it means to be adopted into a family. She is not physically blood of our blood, but she is so definitely our family. She looks like her daddy, with whom she shares no genetic markers, and she is soooo much like me in her need for a plan. She is absolutely family.

Galatians 4:5 …to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

There is no distinction between her kinship and any of my other nieces and nephews. This relationship helps me understand these verses in Galatians better because I understand on a gut level that distinctions are erased when someone is adopted into a family. Family is family, adopted or biological. God’s family is no different.

Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Lord, Thank You for my precious niece and for the lessons she has helped me learn about what it means to be adopted. Thank You for adopting me into Your family, erasing any distinctions. Family means love, compassion, lots of chaos and grace. Help me to treat all my brothers and sisters in Christ as family. Amen.

Galatians 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Have a blessed day.

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A beautiful gift meant to be shared…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 3:26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith….

One line of commentary jumped out at me: “The Holy Spirit is not a prize earned through the works of the law.” Aren’t Christians often guilty of an elitist attitude in Christ? I’ve seen it many times, that snide derision of, “I am one of God’s chosen. Too bad you’re not” attitude.

Galatians 3:27 …for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

But Christ isn’t a prize to be won; He is a gift given freely. He’s not a commodity to be hoarded (I have Him and you don’t); He’s a treasure to be freely shared.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Lord, Thank You for these continued lessons on sharing. Thank You for the reminder that Your love is a beautiful gift meant to be shared with all of Your creation. Help me to shine Your light so that all may know Your goodness. Amen.

Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Have a blessed day.

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“…not I, but Christ….” (devo reflection)

Galatians 2:19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.

The King James Version of Gal 2:20 contains the phrase “not I, but Christ.” Some time ago I came across commentary about this version of this verse that stuck with me. Honestly, I remember nothing of the commentary except the strength and appropriateness of the phrase “not I, but Christ.”

Galatians 2:20a I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me….

There is so much I cannot do, so many ways I fall short again and again. But I’m not tasked with saving myself. I can’t. Thankfully, “not I, but Christ.” Sometimes I get awfully judgy about other people, what they say and do or fail to say and do, “yet not I, but Christ.” Sometimes I label people as too far gone, unworthy of Christ’s grace, “yet not I, but Christ.”

Galatians 2:20b …The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the truth of Galatians 2:20. Thank You that You live in me, that You are an intricate part of my being. When I feel overwhelmed or judgmental, when I doubt or condemn, every moment of every day, help me remember, “not I, but Christ.” Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Have a blessed day.

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The incredible gift…. (devo reflection)

Galatians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ….

I don’t like feeling powerless. Who does? Perhaps that’s why I struggle so sometimes with the fact that there is nothing I can do or ever did to save myself. My salvation is a gift from God, one that I don’t deserve and can never earn.

Galatians 1:4 …who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father….

That “can never earn” bit is the rub, I think. I can do good, useful, clever things. But I can’t save myself. I can’t “win” God’s grace. Thankfully, I don’t have to. And not only am I gifted with God’s grace, but also, I am gifted with Christ IN me, so that I may be His hands and feet in this world.

Galatians 1:5 …to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord, Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace, which I don’t deserve and can never earn. Forgive me that I continue to struggle with this issue of feeling like I need to DO something to earn Your grace instead of just accepting it as the incredible gift it is. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Galatians 1:15-16 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.

Have a blessed day.

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Christ in me…. (devo reflection)

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you…?

Christ Jesus is in us. Let that sink in for a minute. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is IN us. He is infused throughout our beings. He is the breath in our lungs and the blood in our veins. To know that Christ is in me makes me feel incredibly powerful. I’m not helpless. Christ is in me.

2 Corinthians 13:11a Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace….

But, as we know from the super heroes, with power comes great responsibility. I can’t lock Christ away in a dark corner of my heart until it’s convenient and useful for me to let Him out. If Christ is in me—and He is!—then I need to be sure that He is infused in every thought, word, and action, in every breath and every deed.

2 Corinthians 13:11b …And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Lord, Thank You that You are not a dusty, powerless deity on a shelf, that You are the lord of my life, that You are in me. Help me to infuse You into all that I am so that my life can be an homage to You and Your love. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Have a blessed day.

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In this moment and every moment…. (devo reflection)

2 Corinthians 12:7b …Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

We all have those moments of struggle and doubt, where we don’t feel like we measure up, where we doubt ourselves, our worth, our abilities. Those moments, which sometimes last a shockingly long time, are tough. Really tough.

2 Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

But what if those times are our thorn, a way for God to keep our egos in check, to keep us from getting too big for our britches? What if we lean into Galatians 2:20 “…yet not I, but Christ”? What if we admit, embrace our shortcomings, saying, “God, I cannot do this on my own. I need You. Help me”?

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Precious Savior, When my shortcomings and inadequacies stare me in the face, it’s easy to feel like a failure, but that’s the world’s view. You made me specifically for communion with You. Thank You that Your strength is perfected in my weakness, that Your grace is sufficient for me in this moment and every moment. Help me to cling to You always. Amen.

2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Have a blessed day.

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A work in progress…. (devo reflection)

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Lord, Thank You that You love me as the hot mess that I am. You don’t expect perfection. You know I’m a work in progress. And yet You love me fiercely. I don’t deserve them and can never earn them, but I am eternally grateful for Your love, mercy, and compassion.

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

Lord, Thank You that when You see me, warts and all, You see Your creation, Your masterpiece. Every good and perfect gift in my life is from You. Help me to use the gifts and the strengths You’ve given me to comfort Your people and shine Your light.

2 Corinthians 11:30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Lord, Thank You that Your strength is perfected in my weakness. Thank You that I can share my weakness so that I can boast all the more loudly about Your strength. Thank You for showing me the strongholds that I still need to surrender to You. Thank You for loving me through it all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.

Have a blessed day.

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Striving to be a more cheerful giver…. (devo reflection)

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

I share my ugly humanity in these reflections in the hopes that others who struggle will see they are not alone and that that knowledge will help remove some of the stigma of the struggle. I am wholly embarrassed by my struggle with giving. And as with so much in life, my struggle is varied and nuanced and based in emotion and therefore not rational nor easy to dissect and correct, which is maddening.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

So I have to focus on what I can control or I will lose my mind. I know 1. my attitude in this area is a stronghold that I must surrender to God. 2. my attitude doesn’t permeate my entire being, it’s not omnipresent. That’s good. 3. my attitude is better, more generous now than when I was younger. I’m moving in the right direction. 4. I’m not there yet. I know it. God knows. So I’ll keep working on chipping away the attitude and surrendering it to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Lord, Thank You for Your fierce love, even in my imperfection. Thank You for reminding me of the strongholds in my life that must still be surrounded to You. Thank You for the gifts of Your compassion and grace. Help me to be a more cheerful giver in every aspect of my life. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Have a blessed day.

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The grace of giving…. (devo reflection)

2 Corinthians 8:2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

For reasons I don’t understand, I have a problem with giving (and sometimes sharing). Not with gift giving per se—somehow in my brain that’s different—with the giving of money or resources. It makes no sense, and yet it is frustratingly real.

2 Corinthians 8:3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own….

I have a physical reaction—my breathing becomes faster and more shallow, my heart rate speeds up, I just feel…icky in my skin—hyper alert and anxious. I assume it is a scarcity mindset issue—if I give something away and end up needing it, then I won’t have it. Panic! Panic! Regardless, I hate it and know God is once again calling my attention to this stronghold that needs to be given over to Him.

2 Corinthians 8:5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

Lord, I love You and recognize that all that I have is Yours. My irrational reaction to giving and sharing is so frustrating. Help me to drag this issue into Your light and surrender it to You so that I can feel Your peace in this area as well. Please help me, Lord. Amen.

2 Corinthians 8:7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Have a blessed day.