May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. (Galatians 6: 14-15)
The meaning of boasting is defined by Wikipedia as an act of talking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about a person, a place, or a thing. Paul, in the verse above, is praying to never boast about anything else other than the cross. This really touched my heart because we should be proud of the cross, proud of the work it did in our lives, and in our hearts. We should tell everyone about the cross, how Jesus took all of our burdens, and our sins and put them on the cross. We should never stop talking about the cross. If it wouldn’t be the work Jesus has done on the cross, I wouldn’t even be alive today. Let’s crucify our flesh and this world to make sure that we are living by what God is telling us to do.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
Have you found yourself criticizing someone and talking behind their back because they are not behaving the way they should? You are not alone. May God forgive us for behaving like that because that is not how we are called to behave as children of God. We should go to that person and tell them the truth gently, with love, and not condemning them and the Holy Spirit will speak to them through us. We should watch ourselves and not be tempted to go on the easier road of gossiping and condemning but ask God for wisdom and guidance on how we should approach that person and show him/her mercy, love, and gentleness. The funny thing is that when we are behaving this way, we think deep in our hearts that we will never behave like that person but let me tell you something, this is pride. And pride comes from the devil who happens to also be a deceiver.
If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. (Galatians 6:3)
The devil is the deceiver. He will often guide us on a road to only deceives us. We encounter so many deceptions in life through people, through achievements set by ourselves; and this is normal since the bible says that they will be many deceptions in the end times (1 Timothy 4:1). One may say that finding ourselves in deceptions does not mean that we were led by the devil. The truth is, God can never deceive us and if we happen to be deceived then it means that we were being led by the devil. There is no gray in the spiritual realm. It is either black or white.
A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6: 7-10)
As I said before, there is no gray or middle in the spiritual realm. We cannot live by the desires of our flesh and expect to reap eternal life. Living by the Spirit is an everyday battle. We will always face some type of trial and due to our nature, it will feel easier to complain or behave in other ways than face that problem, go to that person, and talk to her/ him directly. It is easier to say bad things about your employer because everyone else is doing so than to be bold and talk positively in front of your coworkers. Believe me, this is easier to say/ write than to do.
May we never give up on doing good because we are the only ones doing so. May we never get shy of telling others about our faith. May we always take all the opportunities to give glory to God and make Him known to all. May we never settle down due to our circumstances or the image we have of ourselves. May we always listen to God’s instructions and be obedient every day of our lives even though we are the only ones standing firm to our belief. Let’s cast our crown of pride, listen to God’s instructions,, and be obedient. Let’s live a godly life everywhere we are, by doing good works that God already prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10).
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your cross, thank you for the work you did and continue to do in my heart. Forgive me for the times I wanted to do what was right but ended up doing what is wrong. Help me to always listen to your instructions and be obedient even when I feel like doing something else. Help me to live a godly life everywhere I am and only boast about your cross as this is how people may see You through me in Jesus’ name. Amen
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