LARGE LETTERS

Week 13

Galatians 6:1-18 NLT
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
11 NOTICE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I USE AS I WRITE THESE CLOSING WORDS IN MY OWN HANDWRITING.
12 Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.
14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.
17 From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.
18 Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

We have made it to the end. It has taken thirteen weeks to read through the book of Galatians as we’ve looked at the “God” lessons and life principles posed by Paul. We’ve considered foundational theological issues—Biblical Law, Faith, Freedom in Christ, and the Holy Spirit—as we’ve looked at the challenges faced by the people of Galatia while unpacking God’s instruction intended for our benefit.

Paul presents his final thoughts in chapter 6. Some of his points seem a bit out of the blue, but no doubt they are essential to the faith and worthy of mention. Let’s look closely and consider its relevancy:

Share each other’s burdens (v. 1-3). Paul reminds the Galatians how to handle one another’s sin. It is necessary instruction for all of us, considering the list of sinful desires in chapter 5. Remember, Paul described struggle between the desires of the sinful nature and desires of the Spirit. It would be natural to look closely at another’s sin and respond with condemnation. Instead, Paul reminds us to pick that person up and help them onto the right path, while being careful not to fall into temptation. This was as hard for the Galatians as it is for today, but it is the right and Godly thing to do. It is a fine balance to be able to carry another’s burden without enabling sin to continue; it often needs the accountability of a support group in the body of Christ. If you find yourself in this situation, be sure to seek out help from a pastor, friend, or Christian counselor, and not carry this burden alone.

Be responsible for the job you do, do it carefully, and don’t compare yourself to others (v. 4). This instruction may seem out of place, but Paul was reminding them of his earlier message, “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (Galatians 2:10)

Provide for your teachers (v. 6). On more than one occasion, Paul made note of the manner in which he was treated by the Galatians, and expressed his appreciation for their kindness. This verse encourages the Galatians to continue to do so with other teachers. It also is a great challenge to us to consider how we care for our pastors and Bible teachers. Do we give of our time and money to support their ministries? Are we offering words of gratitude and times of hospitality?

You will reap what you sow (v. 7-10). Again, Paul refers back to chapter five and the foundational truth that there are forces of good and evil at work within us. He reminds us that if we give into the sinful desires, we will reap the effect of our actions. But if we sow into our relationship with Jesus, we will experience the fullness of the Spirit alive within us. Read his words carefully, however, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good…don’t give up.” It won’t be easy and it takes determination. He suggests, too, that we should practice this discipline by doing good to everyone, especially those in the family of faith.

Only boast in the cross of Christ; what counts is not the law, but whether we are a new creation in Christ (v. 12-15). In this closing thought, Paul summarizes his entire message and provides a practical tip on how to move forward in the Christian walk. He reminds us that it is not about us. It is not about them. It is about Christ. If we turn our focus unto Christ, and the cross, we will keep from falling into law-keeping, faith-earning methods to ensure our salvation and righteousness with God. As we boast in the cross, we will, indeed, be living as a new creation through the promise and not in bondage to the law that was cancelled out by the death and resurrection of our Savior.

Dear sisters, our time of study in Galatians has come to an end. I’ve prayed that our week after week look at the life of the Galatians and, in particular, God’s word to all of us, would impart great Biblical truth deep within our souls. The goal was to experience “God” lessons through His word, and unpack life principles that would enable us to grow our Faith Walking. God has most certainly used this experience to increase my faith, and to root out areas of sin. The process hasn’t been easy, but it was certainly worth the blessing. I hope that you have experienced as similar spiritual growth spurt as you’ve studied Galatians over these past few months. As Paul said it best, “…sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

Gracious and Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege and freedom to study your Word. Your truth has deeply affected our lives and transformed our understanding of what it means to be free in Christ. Help us, O Lord, to be steadfast on this Faith Walking journey and to continue to search out the Scriptures for your instruction and encouragement. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Faith Walking

• Are you sharing one another’s burdens?
• Have you been responsible in your job, doing it carefully and not comparing yourself to others?
• Are you providing for your teachers?
• What have you recently reaped from what you’ve sowed?
• Are you boasting in the Lord?

The Next Step

Spend time today praising God for the lessons He has taught you through this series. Read the book of Galatians once more. This time, jot down a key verse from each chapter or section that you want to remember.

Faith Walking Challengers…
Thank you for your faithfulness on this journey! I pray you will be blessed in the days and months ahead as the Lord continues to grow your Faith Walking with Him! Share your praises with us, as you leave a comment or link to your blog post! Congratulations! You did it!

Galatians Devotional 13 in Word

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© 2007 All rights reserved by Elisa Pulliam.

This devotional is downloadable and printable for your personal use. However, it may not be reprinted for distribution with out permission from Elisa Pulliam. You may contact her at extragrace (at) gmail (.) com.

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