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December 1 - Galatians 6 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's a Monday, it is the first
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  day of the last month of the year, 1st of December.
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  Happy Monday to you. I hope you're going well.
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  I hope your brain is plugged in more securely than mine because
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  I was searching the house trying to find my glasses so I could
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  sit down and start recording. And Iman said, Sean, aren't they
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  hooked on the front of your shirt?
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  And sure enough, there they were.
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  Who knows how long I would have searched for them if it wasn't
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  for clever people who can see things like that.
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  And Speaking of clever people who can see things that we
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  can't, we come and sit before God and hear these words with
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  these ideas that Paul shares with the church in Galatia to
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  help them open their eyes and see the truth.
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  And that is what we get to experience today as well.
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  Holy Spirit, open us up to Your truth that we may be blind to so
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  that we can learn more about You and align our heart and our
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  lives more closely with You. Well, friends, what more is
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  there to do other than to unwrap this very last chapter of
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  Galatians and read it together? Galatians, chapter 6.
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  Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by
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  some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help
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  that person back onto the right path and be careful not to fall
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  into the same temptation yourself.
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  Share each other's burdens and in this way obey the law of
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  Christ. If you think you are too
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  important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.
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  You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your
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  own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well
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  done and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else,
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  for we are each responsible for our own conduct.
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  Those who are taught the Word of God should provide for their
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  teachers, sharing all good things with them.
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  Don't be misled. You cannot mock the justice of
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  God. You will always harvest what you
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  plant. Those who live only to satisfy
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  their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from
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  that sinful nature. But those who live to please the
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  Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
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  So let's not grow tired of doing what is good at just the right
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  time. We will reap a harvest of
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  blessing if we don't give up. Therefore, whenever we have the
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  opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to those
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  in the family of faith. Notice what large letters I use
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  as I write these closing words in my own handwriting.
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  Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to
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  look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted
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  for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save.
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  And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the
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  whole law themselves. They only want you to be
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  circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their
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  disciples. As for me, may I never boast
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  about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been
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  crucified and the world's interest in me has also died.
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  It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not.
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  What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new
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  creation. May God's peace and mercy be
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  upon all who live by this principle.
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  They are the new people of God. From now on, don't let anyone
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  trouble me with these things, for I bear on my body the scars
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  that show I belong to Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters, may
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  the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
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  Amen. Lord, thank you for your truth
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  that you communicate to us through Paul's words in this
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  letter. Thank you that it just lays out
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  so clearly for us that the only thing that matters isn't what we
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  do on the outside and isn't those signs and traditions that
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  we live in and follow, but it's whether or not we are being
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  transformed in you into a new creation.
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  And Lord, as we are transformed, we're transformed not for our
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  own good, but for the good of your community and your Kingdom,
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  so that we can love each other and we can serve each other and
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  not having to worry about our own needs, we can care for those
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  around us. And the beauty of that, Lord, is
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  then others will care for our needs at the same time.
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  Lord, I pray that our communities would reflect your
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  will for us, that we would love and care, that we would uphold,
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  unselfishly share and encourage, and that as we do this, living
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  according to your plans for us, when the world sees the way we
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  are, may they be convicted of something wonderful about the
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  way that we are. And that something wonderful is
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  You. Jesus, you are wonderful, and we
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  thank you for your love, and we praise you from the bottom of
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  our hearts. And we pray all of this in your
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  name, Amen.