21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
On my way to have coffee with a brother God has recently brought to me, I noticed a prompt from a social media app on my phone.
I was about to drive to the coffee shoppe, so I had to set the screen to YouTube, and listen on my truck’s speaker system. I placed my phone in the console, and shut the lid. As I drove along they shared about Galatians 2:20. To be honest, I have yet to listen to the whole podcast! But what I did hear was that they were talking about the difference between being ALL IN, “…crucified with Christ.” and selective obedience, and/or perhaps a gospel of “works” rather than whole life worship of God. I was really thrilled with where they were going with that scripture. But then I arrived at the coffee shoppe, and so also did my friend and brother, so off with the virtual, and into the present.
This friend and brother of mine here, by the way, puts his phone into “do not disturb” when we get together. And I’ve been learning to do the same lately. That’s real time, but also a kind of poetry, eh? To be present with one another. And I don’t mean to disparage anything, but I am learning, ever learning, the spontaneous listening and doing. Not rehearsed, pre-written, pre-supposed, prescribed… but going forth in his name. In obedience to his call, and like Jesus with the woman at the well in John 4, I respond to the moment.
There is a conversation going on in the hearts of each and every one of… who? His own ones. The one’s whom God, by his mercy and grace has chosen to reveal himself to. I know that there are verses in the Bible about the called, the chosen, to name just two. But there is also this one precious verse,
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9
It is not for me to decide who is and who isn’t chosen. Nor who is or isn’t saved. I don’t do it, and I believe God has taught me this over and over again. That is a tangent from my point here, so I will leave that for another time. Feel free to ask me about this, my reader 🙂
I am “ready at any time” to give a reason for the Hope that I have within me. See 1 Peter 3:15 that talks about this.
I have a brother, who is also a pastor, who recently told me that we are to speak when asked to do so, like a witness in a court proceeding. The Holy Spirit is the defense attorney, and I am the witness for the defense. Who’s on trial? The Gospel? God’s existence? Yes, yes, and many other reasons.
55 for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
The New Testament writer, Paul, echoes this message,
And… since we began here with it, Galatians 2:20 is the very essence of this. As I read through (actually writing it out) the book of Leviticus – having begun in Genesis, working my way through to Revelation – I see that God is well aware of what he is doing. You see that he does things the way he chooses to do things. He answers to nobody. When we don’t understand, we can ask him to give us understanding, but not in the tone of one who is calling on God to defend himself as though he is subject to a mere man’s judgement. Check out verses like Romans 9:20-21.
But that does not mean that he doesn’t explain himself. It doesn’t mean that he acts unjustly. He reveals himself to us through his word. We find stamped there in that record of his mighty works, his image, his character. His unchanging person! He is a just God.
He called Abram out of the Ur of the Chaldeans, to be his own. Abram believed God, and walked into being God’s possession. God changed his name to Abraham, and the ritual of circumcision was put in place, that was the forever mark of the Jewish lineage. The whole nation of Israel is God’s from its very origins. And the New Testament proclaims that we, who are not of Jewish descent, are adopted sons and daughters of Abraham. Galatians speaks of a circumcision of the heart. A whole self, living sacrifice.
So… I’m a bit exhausted here, how about you?
My friend, as he read with me, Galatians 2:20… I read also verse 21, because it is my habit to read the whole thought written out there. My brother-in-the-Lord, is a new believer. And God has sent him to me to come along side of him, and disciple him. To teach him the basics in this life of being God’s own ones. I am teaching him how to read God’s word. So, part of that is to practice what I teach.
Running Down Vimy 