Whispers of Truth

Yesterday after church, I noticed a sweet family all decked out in their red, white, and blue. I had forgotten that it was Flag Day, but they obviously had not. It made me stop and think about my status as a citizen. Don't get me wrong, I am patriotic and loyal to my country, but standing next to them, I certainly didn't look like I was! The Bible tells me I am an alien and stranger here--just sojourning for a while until I get to my forever home. I think it is awesome that my friends chose to display their patriotism, but it made me wonder if I am wearing my devotion to God in a visible way. Do people see my actions, hear my words, and think, there goes a believer? Or do I fly so low under the radar that no one would ever know I follow Jesus' teachings? Do people see a show or my love for Jesus? I want my faith to be visible, not for people to see me and give me kudos, but because I want them to know the power of a living God at work in my life. I want my devotion to Him...

Galatians is very thought-provoking, especially in light of its look at legalism. I struggle less now than I used to, but being legalistic has always been way too easy for me. Ephesians chapter two also tells us that we are saved by grace through faith, and that faith was even a gift to us, yet the struggle to want to add to that is very real with many. Paul spoke of this struggle in Galatians as he battled the infiltration of Judaizers, who were leading those in the church astray by telling them they needed to add to the grace they had been given. If or when we try to add anything to grace, we are essentially rejecting it and reverting to legalism, and that's a bad deal! This is revealed by Paul, who says in Galatians 4:9: "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?" (NASB). Yesterday, our pastor's sermon from ...