Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 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. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
– Galatians 6:12-15
Devotion
Paul reminds the Galatian believers that by exerting pressure and stressing circumcision among the Gentiles, the Judaizers hoped to escape the anger and wrath of Jews who were not believers. The Judaizers were the legalists of the day. Legalism appeals to the natural man because the law is given to curb him. By keeping the law, he can boast in his own efforts. Paul makes the point that because of grace he could only boast in the cross of Christ. As believers, we must glory in the cross and the One who died there. In the end, all that matters is “a new creation.” In 2 Corinthians chapter five, Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” God is in the business of making all things new! “No shame…No same!”
The Big Question
Do you live your life in fear of what other people think? Do you find comfort and security in knowing the rules and following them? Have you experienced the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God through the cross of Christ? Are you a new creation in Christ?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.