August 16 - Galatians 2: Tossed In A Storm

If left to my own thoughts and experiences, I would quickly conclude that there is no freedom in Christ. I would feel totally condemned because I can't live up to what God expects of me. I absolutely can't do it. I'm too angry, too selfish, too sinful. Today proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt. I hit my limit in the flesh, and it wasn't pretty, or godly, or selfless, or grace-filled.

Oh my, am I grateful for the gifts of God's Word and His Spirit! His truth is what I need to soak up - to remind me of what is real - and what I need to trust Him to accomplish in me.

We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ...What actually took place: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it...Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central (2:15, 19)

How I wish this was true of me! I pray for the day that my ego is no longer central, that my sinful demands no longer rule in my heart.

"What am I to do? I want to live by Your Spirit so I am able to resist the demands of my sinful nature. How do I do it? 

"Listen to My good friend John Owen, the Puritan pastor who, like Luther, understood that true freedom develops in fierce battle... 

"The Christian may be like a ship tossed in a storm. Nobody on board may be aware that the ship is making any headway at all. Yet it is sailing on at great speed. Great winds and storms help fruit-bearing trees. So also do corruptions and temptations help the fruitfulness of grace and holiness...corruptions and temptations develop the fruit of humility, self-abasement and mourning in a deeper search for the grace by which holiness grows strong. But only later will there be visible fruits of increased holiness." 66 LL

Lord, I praise You for Your beauty and power. Thank You for faithfully drawing me near, even as my emotions are all over the place. Thank You for being all-knowing yet full of grace and mercy as I fall short every single day. Rather than getting stuck on all that I "should" be, I pray that I will focus more on loving others than resisting temptation (66 LL). This battle for true freedom is fierce, Lord, but I'm trusting that Your Spirit is making headway in my soul, even though I can't see it.