Day 5
Lisa Sheffler, author
Happy Friday! We’ve arrived at Day 5 of our second week studying Galatians. What is God revealing to you through his Word? Spend some time with him today, asking him to guide you to apply what you’ve learned.
Reflect
Take a final look at Galatians 1:11–24. This passage begins what many commentators call the autobiographical section of the letter.
It’s important to pay attention to the flow of Paul’s thought as we move through the book. So ask yourself, what did Paul share about his past and why did he share it?
Now think about what you learned about Paul this week. What does his dramatic conversion tell you about God?
Connect
Paul was fundamentally changed by his encounter with Jesus – his beliefs changed, the way he saw the world changed, and his life’s mission and calling changed. Paul’s attitude toward outsiders changed. He no longer looked down on Gentiles, but saw them as potential brothers and sisters in God’s eternal family.
Paul dedicated his life to spreading the gospel. He lived his calling and didn’t let the Roman authorities or angry mobs deter him. He faced beatings, imprisonment, and even a ship wreck, yet he kept finding ways to get to the next place to proclaim the gospel, all while looking after the churches he planted, helping them understand how to live out the gospel.
Paul saw a brand new path for humanity – as N.T. Wright often says, “a new way of being human” — where he encouraged people to put aside sinful, selfish, and harmful ways of being, not by strict adherence to the law, but by embracing life as a “new creation” led by the Spirit.
Jesus changed everything for Paul. There wasn’t a single corner of his life that the Spirit failed to get a hold of.
You don’t have to be a Pharisee who persecuted Christians for that to be true of you as well. The Spirit wants to change you from the inside out. The way of Jesus doesn’t come naturally to us. We don’t want to forgive people who aren’t sorry or pray for our enemies. We don’t want to lay down our rights for the good of another or serve people we consider unworthy. We value money, comfort, and other people’s opinions far more than we should. But we can have faith that the Spirit wants to heal our hurts and break us free from sin. When we confess, repent, and believe, he will give us meaning, peace, and purpose.
This week, as you’ve thought about your story, you may be disappointed in the progress you’ve made. You may feel like you have a long way to go. God placed us in a family so we can find help, accountability, and encouragement. We don’t give up. God certainly doesn’t give up on us. His love is too vast. So let’s put our faith in the gospel every day and cooperate with the Spirit as he transforms us into the image of Christ.
Respond
Take some time in prayer and ask God two questions:
- What do you want me to take away from what I’ve studied this week? What do you want me to remember?
- What do you want me to do with that learning? What is the one, next, right step that you want me to take?
If you’re not where you want to be spiritually, confess that to the Father today. Ask him where to begin as you seek to be transformed by the Spirit. Reach out for prayer from a trusted friend or family member.
If you haven’t taken the time to reflect on some of your God stories, do so today. Find someone to share one of them with and ask them about their story.
Coming up next week…
Coming up next week, we’ll continue to see how Paul shares his story and talk about how we can share our own stories as a way to help point people to Jesus.
