O. Addison Gethers e-mail address [email protected] [email protected]
twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 10:07 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Wednesday December 2 > Day 336 > > Galatians 4 > 1-3Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the heir is a > minor, he has no advantage > over the slave. Though legally he owns the entire inheritance, he is > subject to tutors and > administrators until whatever date the father has set for emancipation. > That is the way it is with > us: When we were minors, we were just like slaves ordered around by simple > instructions (the tutors > and administrators of this world), with no say in the conduct of our own > lives. > 4-7But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his > Son, born among us of a > woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those > of us who have been > kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our > rightful heritage. You can tell > for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God > sent the Spirit of his Son > into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of > intimate conversation with God > make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a > child, you're also an heir, > with complete access to the inheritance. > > 8-11Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to > so-called gods that had nothing > of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God-or rather > since God knows you-how can > you possibly subject yourselves again to those paper tigers? For that is > exactly what you do when > you are intimidated into scrupulously observing all the traditions, > taboos, and superstitions > associated with special days and seasons and years. I am afraid that all > my hard work among you has > gone up in a puff of smoke! > > 12-13My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is try to put > yourselves in my shoes to > the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours. You were > very sensitive and kind > then. You did not come down on me personally. You were well aware that the > reason I ended up > preaching to you was that I was physically broken, and so, prevented from > continuing my journey, I > was forced to stop with you. That is how I came to preach to you. > > 14-16And don't you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was > most troublesome for you, > you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God-as > well as you would have > treated Jesus himself if he had visited you? What has happened to the > satisfaction you felt at that > time? There were some of you then who, if possible, would have given your > very eyes to me-that is > how deeply you cared! And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by > telling you the truth? I > can't believe it. > > 17Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their > motives are rotten. They > want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will > always depend on them for > approval and direction, making them feel important. > > 18-20It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good, but not just when I am > in your presence. Can't > you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am > away from you that you had > when I was with you? Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until > Christ's life becomes > visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth. Oh, I keep > wishing that I was with > you. Then I wouldn't be reduced to this blunt, letter-writing language out > of sheer frustration. > > 21-31Tell me now, you who have become so enamored with the law: Have you > paid close attention to > that law? Abraham, remember, had two sons: one by the slave woman and one > by the free woman. The son > of the slave woman was born by human connivance; the son of the free woman > was born by God's > promise. This illustrates the very thing we are dealing with now. The two > births represent two ways > of being in relationship with God. One is from Mount Sinai in Arabia. It > corresponds with what is > now going on in Jerusalem-a slave life, producing slaves as offspring. > This is the way of Hagar. In > contrast to that, there is an invisible Jerusalem, a free Jerusalem, and > she is our mother-this is > the way of Sarah. Remember what Isaiah wrote: > > Rejoice, barren woman who bears no children, > shout and cry out, woman who has no birth pangs, > Because the children of the barren woman > now surpass the children of the chosen woman. > Isn't it clear, friends, that you, like Isaac, are children of promise? In > the days of Hagar and > Sarah, the child who came from faithless connivance (Ishmael) harassed the > child who came-empowered > by the Spirit-from the faithful promise (Isaac). Isn't it clear that the > harassment you are now > experiencing from the Jerusalem heretics follows that old pattern? There > is a Scripture that tells > us what to do: "Expel the slave mother with her son, for the slave son > will not inherit with the > free son." Isn't that conclusive? We are not children of the slave woman, > but of the free woman. > > Galatians 5 > The Life of Freedom > 1 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never > again let anyone put a > harness of slavery on you. > 2-3I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to > circumcision or any other > rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom > is squandered. I repeat > my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the > advantages of the free > life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. 4-6I > suspect you would never intend > this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own > religious plans and projects, > you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we > expectantly wait for a satisfying > relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most > conscientious religion nor disregard > of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more > interior: faith expressed in > love. > > 7-10You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the > true course of obedience? > This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the > first place. And please > don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of > yeast, you know, to permeate > an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence > that you will not defect. But > the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine > judgment. > > 11-12As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision > (as I did in those > pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, > then? If I were preaching > that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now > and then-it would be so > watered-down it wouldn't matter one way or the other. Why don't these > agitators, obsessive as they > are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves! > > 13-15It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just > make sure that you don't > use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy > your freedom. Rather, use > your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For > everything we know about > God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love > yourself. That's an act of > true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out-in no time at > all you will be > annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? > > 16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's > Spirit. Then you won't feed > the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful > self-interest in us that is at odds > with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with > selfishness. These two ways of life > are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times > another way according to how > you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit > and so escape the erratic > compulsions of a law-dominated existence? > > 19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your > own way all the time: > repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and > emotional garbage; frenzied > and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; > paranoid loneliness; cutthroat > competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an > impotence to love or be > loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided > pursuits; the vicious habit of > depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable > addictions; ugly parodies of > community. I could go on. > > This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your > freedom this way, you will > not inherit God's kingdom. > > 22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our > lives, much the same way > that fruit appears in an orchard-things like affection for others, > exuberance about life, serenity. > We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in > the heart, and a conviction > that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves > involved in loyal commitments, > not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our > energies wisely. > > 23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. > Among those who belong > to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly > responding to what everyone > else calls necessities is killed off for good-crucified. > > 25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the > Spirit, let us make sure that > we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our > hearts, but work out its > implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare > ourselves with each other > as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more > interesting things to do with our > lives. Each of us is an original. > > Galatians 6 > Nothing but the Cross > 1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly > restore him, saving your > critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before > the day's out. Stoop down > and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so > complete Christ's law. If you > think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. > 4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been > given, and then sink > yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare > yourself with others. Each of > you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your > own life. > > 6Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient > maturity, that you enter into a > generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good > things that you have and > experience. > > 7-8Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he > will harvest. The person > who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others-ignoring > God!-harvests a crop of weeds. All > he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in > response to God, letting God's > Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal > life. > > 9-10So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right > time we will harvest a > good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time > we get the chance, let us > work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the > community of faith. > > 11-13Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls > of my personal > handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These > people who are attempting to > force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an > easy way to look good > before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ's > suffering and death. All > their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don't keep the law! And > they are highly selective > in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they > can boast of their success > in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible! > > 14-16For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our > Master, Jesus Christ. > Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set > free from the stifling > atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that > they dictate. Can't you see > the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do-submit to > circumcision, reject > circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something > totally new, a free life! All > who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God-his chosen people. > Peace and mercy on them! > > 17Quite frankly, I don't want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I > have far more important > things to do-the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars > from my service to Jesus. > > 18May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally > yours, my friends. Oh, > yes! > > > The Message (MSG) > Copyright C 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. 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