Scripture:
“Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.” Galatians 3:5-6 (MSG)
Perspective:
Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia to remind them of how God’s working in their lives started. It had little to do with their achievement or striving to keep a moral code. The change in their lives came about from God’s grace not their striving. Paul knew that striving to obtain God’s favor was exhausting. There would never be enough time or energy to check all the boxes. So instead of letting the Galatians go on their way striving to be made right with God, Paul sent a reminder. They had to receive what God gave them to stop the strain of their striving.
You may find yourself striving in an area of your life today. While we should work hard at whatever our hands find to do, it is important that we don’t translate this achievement mentality into our spiritual context of trying to earn God’s favor and grace. You don’t have to earn something that you have been given. Striving tends to make us feel like we are doing something, and we are. It’s hard and exhausting. Yet, all the striving in the whole world won’t make our hearts feel complete. It’s faith not striving that brings God’s peace into our lives.
Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
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About Hona Amer
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