God of our blessed assurance, reassure this dear reader in the challenges of faith that may come their way; in Christ Jesus, amen.
My apologies for my silence these last few days, for they found me to be under the weather and unable to do much, but thanks be to God I am feeling better. Our text for today comes from Galatians 2:1-10:
1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us— 5 we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. 6 And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.
Many of us grew up with traditions and practices that we considered laws of the faith. More than likely these were the teachings of former pastors or family traditions taught by earlier generations of believers. I trust that behind each of these traditions, practices and laws, the truth of God's love was felt by you. Paul is sharing how God led him through a revelation to make another trip to Jerusalem, the capital of Christianity at the time, and the place where the first and leaders of believers lived. Paul takes with him Barnabas and Titus, a Gentile convert to Christianity. It sounds like Paul wants to make sure his message is in line with the faith as these leaders in Jerusalem are teaching it. Paul also wants to know if holding to the belief that men do not have be circumcised to be Christians is also in line with true faith. Titus, some footnotes say, came along as a "test case." If he were compelled to be circumcised then Paul would work to make sure all male believers were as well. But that was not the case. Circumcision was still a part of the Law which Paul now sees and calls "bondage." True freedom was in knowing and experiencing the love of Christ Jesus in the heart; this was the central message of the Gospel. If anything came of that meeting was that the "leaders" in Jerusalem recognized the need for themselves to continue to preach among the Jews and for Paul to continue to preach among the non-Jews. The other important thing was that these three received "the right hand of fellowship" with the understanding that Paul would "remember the poor," in other words to collect offerings to help those believers in areas that were hurting from lack of financial resources. Paul was already committed to that and gladly accepted that charge.
We can easily hide or get lost in following traditions and practices and forget the centrality of God's love and salvation as offered to us. And what have we gained if we've missed the main part? This happens for some each Sunday in church, certain orders have to be followed for any comfort or experience to be truly had, but those awaiting or watching for those things have missed the most important part, that feeling of joy and forgiveness that comes to the hearts of those who are hurting and in need. And if truth be told, that means all of us. So, look beyond what our hands have made as required practices and laws to the hands of God at work in our lives that we might be blessed.
PRAYER: Loving God, the message in Galatians is to go, and today it was to go beyond what we impose on ourselves. So, help me see where it is that I am to go, and give me the strength to follow and do exactly that. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
