Baggage Claim — Carry On - Monday
Today’s Verse
Galatians 2:19-21
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (ESV)
I moved to Lexington last September, and even before I got here, my one friend in the area invited me to join a Bible study. I jumped at the opportunity to connect with new people, and when I got to town, we started studying Galatians.
A couple weeks later, someone on staff invited me to join a biweekly study, which also happened to be studying Galatians. Huh, that’s funny.
By January, the first group had stopped meeting, so I looked for another opportunity and found it in the form of another study on Galatians. Mind you, I wasn’t trying to make that happen. The group just happened to sound like a good fit and met almost within walking distance of my apartment.
Okay, God. I think I need to pay attention to Galatians.
Since then, I feel like I’ve seen Galatians everywhere. Maybe some of it is that frequency illusion psychologists talk about, but I think it’s always worth paying attention when a specific scripture seems to show up over and over again.
This week, we’re talking about the freedom that Jesus offers us—the very point of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia.
Jesus fulfilled the law completely. He bore the penalty of our sin in death, and by faith in Him, we are made right with God—not by anything we do, but by what He has done.
REFLECTION
This week, I want to challenge you to read through the entire book of Galatians. Depending on your season of life and available time, maybe you read one chapter a day, maybe you read all 6 chapters today. Maybe you read all 6 chapters every day this week. Whatever you choose, once you’ve read, take a few minutes to process, reflect, pray, and even journal about what you understand, what challenges you, and what questions come up as you go through the book.
Groups really are a great way to connect with others and study scripture. Visit southland.church/groups to check out the groups directory!
The book of Galatians is 6 chapters. The ESV audio runs just under 20 minutes in total.
