Stac’s Place

Our staff has been posting our life journal thoughts online.  Here’s mine from today…

Scripture:  What is important is faith expressing itself in love…Galatians 5:6

Observed:  I love the way the scriptures are connected.  Today’s passage from Job recounted how Job lived his life: expressing his faith in love and service of others, righteousness and purity.  Paul is writing to the Galatians to remind them that faith must have a practical application in their lives.  Faith is not a private matter between the individual and God; it’s a communal thing.  We belong to each other, need each other.  The fruit of the Spirit is interactive, and shows up as that body of Christ rubs shoulders with other people.

Application:  Remember Dan’s words from a couple of weeks ago?  Do Good.  Here.  Now. If I am going to be growing in my walk (Paul challenges the Galatians to pay careful attention to their own walk with the Lord), then I’ve got to be expressing my faith in love.  Paul details several ways that shows up:  serving one another (5:13), the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23) humility (5:26), confronting sin & accountability (6:1-3), doing good (6:9).  The bottom line is that the whole law can be summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Gal. 5:14)

Father, I am taking a long look at my life to see where I need to grow.  I know all the facts and believe all the right things(at least I like to think I do.)  But I want to see how my life reflects the love of God.  If my faith doesn’t express itself in love, then maybe my faith isn’t as good as I thought it was.  I don’t want to find myself getting confronted by someone like Paul with these words:  You were running the race so well.  Who held you back from following the truth?  Please show me my sin, those places where I fall short.  Give me the courage to make changes, the strength to discipline myself to be proactive, and to react in grace/truth/love.  I want to be filled with your Spirit, my God.

***a couple of confessions:
1.  I’m taking some pretty strong codeine-based medicine today, so if my thoughts are a little loopy, give me some grace! 
2.  I so wanted to write about Galatians 5:12, but I just couldn’t do it!