From: September 19, 2023
“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Galatians 5:1 NLT).
In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul described the way of liberty that is only found by faith in Christ Jesus. The letter is primarily a warning against adding the law to the gospel of grace. For to do so would be to “submit again to a yoke of slavery.” For the law is something to do, but the gospel is something to believe.
Imagine a road called Liberty with two ditches on either side. On one side there is the ditch called Legalism and on the other side License. The only way to travel on the Liberty Road is to walk by faith in Jesus. Yet, an error in either direction of understanding the true gospel, will cause one to end up in the ditch.
As the early church father, Tertullian wrote, “Just as Christ was crucified between two thieves,” so the gospel “is ever crucified between two opposite errors.”
Misunderstanding the gospel of grace, we either fall into legalism, thinking that our human performance must be added to Christ’s work of salvation. Or we fall into license, taking for granted the grace of God by willfully continuing in sin. Although Paul’s primary concern for the Galatians was to keep them from the ditch of legalism, he also warned against the ditch of license in his letter to the Romans, saying, “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6:1-2).
So, let’s stand firm in walking by faith in Christ Jesus. In so doing, we are able to live in true freedom and liberty.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that we are truly set free by faith in Your Son, Christ Jesus. For He has set us free from the law, which we could not keep. And He has set us free from slavery to sin, which leads to death. Strengthen us to walk in the way of liberty by walking in the Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: September 19, 2022
DAVID’S SWEET PSALM OF PRAYER AND PRAISE
David made a commitment to praise and pray to the Lord all the days of his life. The superscription of this psalm states that David was in the wilderness of Judah when he wrote it. Many scholars believe it was written during the time he was hiding from his son, Absalom, who sought to overthrow him as king. Matthew Henry wrote that, “Just as the sweetest of Paul’s epistles were those sent out from a Roman prison, so some of the sweetest of David’s psalms are those that were penned, as this one was, in the wild desolation of the Dead Sea desert.”
Have you made a determined commitment to prayer and praise all the days of your life? Whether you are in the wilderness or the garden, such a life glorifies God and thrives under His divine grace.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we praise You. As we see the sun rise again this day and feel the warm breeze blow, we praise You for both the seen and the unseen blessings You bestow. And even when the day is dark and stormy, we will praise You. For You are all lovely to us. We praise You openly before all. Now, strengthen us for this day to serve You and glorify Your great Name. In the name of Jesus, amen.
From: September 19, 2017
It is faith, not the flesh, that takes hold of true righteousness. And it is the Spirit that makes faith effective and righteousness real. For the flesh strives to earn righteousness through law-keeping, which is a rejection of the grace of Christ. Those who live by the works of the flesh cannot produce righteousness. But those who live by the Spirit are enabled to bear the fruit of the Spirit by faith in the finished work and righteousness of Christ. As Edward Mote wrote in the first stanza of his famous hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness!”
From: September 19, 2016
David wrote that God’s love for us is “better than life.” Not his love for God, but God’s love for him. Knowledge of God’s love brought praise to his lips. God’s love has been most clearly revealed in Jesus. For as the apostle John wrote, “This is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God’s love as expressed in Jesus should be the motive for our worship.
From: September 19, 2015
From Abraham’s time until that of Isaiah’s, the people of Israel had often looked to Egypt when they should have been looking to God. Trusting Egypt for help is a metaphor for trusting the world and human strength. Who are you trusting? Egypt or the Lord? Isaiah counsels us to look to the Lord!
From: September 19, 2014
From Abraham’s time until that of Isaiah’s, the people of Israel had often looked to Egypt when they should have been looking to God. Trusting Egypt for help is a metaphor for trusting the world and human strength. Who are you trusting? Egypt or the Lord? Isaiah counsels us to look to the Lord!
From: September 19, 2013
After the Assyrians had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, they sought to overthrow Judah as well. In response, Judah asked for help from Egypt. God spoke through Isaiah rebuking Judah for trusting Egypt rather than God for their deliverance. In His mercy, He offered salvation to those who would return and find rest in Him. He offered strength to those who would trust Him with quiet faith. Who or what are you trusting for your deliverance?