Galatians 6 - 11.27.24

Scripture

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Observation

This chapter of Galatians gives us practical suggestions on how to live a Christian life. If someone got trapped in sin, let the others who are more mature in Christ, bring him/her gently back to the Lord. When we bear each other’s burdens and watch out for each other, we fulfill the law of Christ. 

The chapter continues to give us more instructions on living a Christian life. Don’t have a great opinion of yourself. Be generous. Share your blessings with the one who teaches the word. Don’t get tired of doing the right thing, we will reap our rewards eventually.

We fulfil the law of Christ, when we bear each other’s burdens. What is the law of Christ? Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and that the second most important commandment is to love our neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). When we love God with all our heart, he helps us to selflessly love others around us. When we bear each other’s burdens, we fulfil the law of Christ. 

Application

The Bible teaches us that we should not be looking to our own interests, but to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:4). How do we look out for others and bear the burdens of our sisters and brothers? We can look for practical ways to help out the people God has placed around us. 

Another way to bear the burdens of others, is to actively pray for them, as if we are praying for ourselves! Paul compares interceding for others to birth pangs experienced by a woman giving birth (Galatians 4:19). When I gave birth to my first-born, my doctor administered the epidural only after I had gone through almost 12 hours of labor! That gave me a first-hand experience of the deep pains of child-birth, incomparable to any other pain known to mankind! Let us intercede and pray deeply for others in their needs, by bearing their burden in prayer.

Prayer

Dear Father, I thank you for loving me. Help me to bear the burdens of the people you have placed in my life, and fulfil your law. Show me how I can help people in their need. Show me how I can intercede and pray effectively for their needs, as you expect. Help me Lord, as I can do nothing without you (John 15:5). May my prayers for my sisters and brothers rise up to you as a sweet incense (Psalms 141:2). In Jesus’s name. Amen.

- Asha Chacko George

Galatians 5 - 11.26.24

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

OBSERVATION:  Paul knew God, loved God, and his life was led by the Spirit of God.  He explained to the Church that it was for freedom that Christ set us free.  “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” 

APPLICATION:  We keep in step with the Spirit of God by living lives that are led by the Spirit of God.  When we are living by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict to one another so that we are not to do whatever we want. If we did what our flesh wanted, we would be led back into slavery to our selfish desires. 

The fruit of the Spirit is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!  That’s the ONLY reason we are able to stand firm and not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!  Because… Christ has set us free!

PRAYER:  Thank You Lord for purchasing our freedom when You died on the cross for our sins. Thank You for the freedom we now have to live for You.  We who were once dead in our sins have been made alive by Your Spirit. We who have been forgiven much are now free to love much!  As you love us, we are to love others. I pray you will help us to die to our fleshly desires, and live fully and completely unto You.  I pray that the virtues of Your Spirit will be revealed in our lives by the way we love You and others, and that we will bear much fruit for Your honor and glory as we continually keep in step with Your Spirit.

- Robin Orefice

Psalm 114 - 11.25.24

Scripture

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭114‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

“The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!”

Observation

The psalmist in this chapter is reminding the reader of the “good old days”. These were the days when God delivered His people out of slavery in Egypt and led them into the Promise Land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. The psalmist tells the reader how God provided safety for His people by literally moving seas, rivers, and mountains for them. God made what seemed impossible, possible. It’s a psalm that not only shows you just how great and awesome our God is, but also the great lengths God will go through to provide for His children.

Application

What’s there to worry about when God is on our side.

“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”-Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬b

We tend to forget sometimes just how BIG and AWESOME our God is. It’s like I heard from Pastor Greg Laurie: “If you have a big God you will have small problems. If you have big problems, do you have a small God?”

Well, for those of you that don’t know, we serve a BIG God! He is AWESOME in power! And as you can see from this psalm, God will literally move heaven and earth for His people. Why?..because He loves us soooo much! We are precious to Him. So much so that He came out of the comforts of Heaven and died on a cross for us, to free us from our sins, and to give us the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. ❤️ Now who wouldn’t want a God like that in their life? 

Prayer

Father God, You are AWESOME! Nothing compares to You. I am humbled that a God like You, loves me so much. Forgive me for forgetting just how powerful and sovereign You are. May I always be reminded of who You are and what You have done in my life, and in Your people’s lives. May it strengthen my faith and hope in You, especially when I hit difficult times. I thank You for Your faithfulness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi