A Friend Indeed
Written by: Reggie G.
Read Galatians 1:1-10
What a friend we have in Jesus! A true friend who saves us from ourselves. He loves us enough to accept us as we are, and yet not leave us as we are. How wonderful the thought of a transformed life! How much more wonderful being able to witness His transforming grace in our lives!
The truth of the cross is not only for what comes after but also for here and now. As Jesus said, “I’ve come that you may have life, and have it to the full”. (John 10:10) True life can only be found in Jesus. There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) The message of Jesus is, He is all we need. Jesus plus nothing else equals everything.
Jesus challenges us all to surrender to His authority and this is a challenge for us all. Many times believers will distort what we know to be true about Jesus in order to fit Him into the box that suits our needs for the moment. Maybe I’m the only one who has ever done this but somehow I don’t think that I’m alone in this.
In Galatians 1:1-10 the Apostle Paul talks about how the believers in Galatia were falling away from the faith and were being persuaded by a gospel contrary to the message of Christ. Paul was referring to the outside influences that were affecting them, but maybe there is another side to this coin. I think it safe to say that anything that would distort the message or distract us from the message of Christ would be dangerous to our faith and life. Many times we are our own worst enemy. We sell ourselves on bad ideas all the time. On one hand we desire to follow Jesus but on the other hand we find ourselves making excuses for certain behaviors. We try to pick and choose the areas in our life we want to let Jesus into.
The problem here is that you can’t surrender just part of your life. Surrender means I give up. I relinquish control. When we do this, we are in essence creating a gospel of our choosing. One that allows us to continue our behavior in some areas while allowing ourselves to be transformed in others. This should not be. However, be encouraged, because complete change doesn’t happen overnight and God is faithful to complete the work He has started in you. (Philippians 1:6) The Bible has many examples of this. So pause, and reflect on the areas that you have closed off to Jesus, then make a decision to allow Him access to those areas. Jesus loves you and did not come to condemn you but to save you. (John 3:17)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to allow You into every area of our lives. Help us to not try and fit You into our box but to allow You to have Your way in us and through us. Amen.
What a friend we have in Jesus! A true friend who saves us from ourselves. He loves us enough to accept us as we are, and yet not leave us as we are. How wonderful the thought of a transformed life! How much more wonderful being able to witness His transforming grace in our lives!
The truth of the cross is not only for what comes after but also for here and now. As Jesus said, “I’ve come that you may have life, and have it to the full”. (John 10:10) True life can only be found in Jesus. There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) The message of Jesus is, He is all we need. Jesus plus nothing else equals everything.
Jesus challenges us all to surrender to His authority and this is a challenge for us all. Many times believers will distort what we know to be true about Jesus in order to fit Him into the box that suits our needs for the moment. Maybe I’m the only one who has ever done this but somehow I don’t think that I’m alone in this.
In Galatians 1:1-10 the Apostle Paul talks about how the believers in Galatia were falling away from the faith and were being persuaded by a gospel contrary to the message of Christ. Paul was referring to the outside influences that were affecting them, but maybe there is another side to this coin. I think it safe to say that anything that would distort the message or distract us from the message of Christ would be dangerous to our faith and life. Many times we are our own worst enemy. We sell ourselves on bad ideas all the time. On one hand we desire to follow Jesus but on the other hand we find ourselves making excuses for certain behaviors. We try to pick and choose the areas in our life we want to let Jesus into.
The problem here is that you can’t surrender just part of your life. Surrender means I give up. I relinquish control. When we do this, we are in essence creating a gospel of our choosing. One that allows us to continue our behavior in some areas while allowing ourselves to be transformed in others. This should not be. However, be encouraged, because complete change doesn’t happen overnight and God is faithful to complete the work He has started in you. (Philippians 1:6) The Bible has many examples of this. So pause, and reflect on the areas that you have closed off to Jesus, then make a decision to allow Him access to those areas. Jesus loves you and did not come to condemn you but to save you. (John 3:17)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to allow You into every area of our lives. Help us to not try and fit You into our box but to allow You to have Your way in us and through us. Amen.
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