Lord, we thank You that our lives are not controlled by what we are. They are transformed by who You are …(Praying through God’s Word: Judges 14:10-16:3).

Lord, we thank You that our lives are not controlled by what we are. They are transformed by who You are. We are sinners. You are the God of grace, Shall our sin triumph over Your grace? - "God forbid!" (Romans 6:1-2). "Sin shall not have dominion over us" (Romans 6:14). Your grace has brought us forgiveness. May it …

In all that we do, we need love.

"Christ makes me bold enough to order you to do the right thing. 9 However, I would prefer to make an appeal on the basis of love" (Philemon 8-9).  In all that we do, we need love. We learn this love from Jesus "who loved us and gave himself for us" (Galatians 2:20).

"I have been crucified with Christ … Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

"I have been crucified with Christ ... Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). When our devotion to the Lord is being deepened, we learn to walk with Him on the way of the cross – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live …

“Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.”

Galatians 3:23-5:6 ‘God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts’(4:6). The Spirit is not a reward we earn by being good people. The Spirit is God’s gift (Titus 3:5). Paul connects the gift of the Spirit with Christ’s death for us and our faith in Christ(3:13-14). We do not come to God …

The fruit of the Spirit …

We read about "the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23) - and we're ashamed of ourselves! We fall so far short of what God wants us to be. While we're here on earth, we'll never become, fully, all that God intends to be. We stumble. …

Plenty of reasons for rejoicing in the Lord …

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice ... Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name" (Psalm 97:1,12). Psalm 97 begins and ends with joy - rejoicing in the Lord. True joy comes to us from the Lord. We think of who God is - the King of love. We …

Set free – to stand firm …

" ... Christ has set us free. Stand firm ... " (Galatians 5:1). Why does Christ set us free? Does he set us free to do whatever we like? No! He sets us free - to be his soldiers and servants. Without Christ as our Saviour, we are defenceless and defeated - when Satan attacks us. …

More than a great preacher …

"I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me" (John 17:8). Jesus was sent by God - to speak the Word of the Lord, but he was more than one of many preachers. Jesus is different …

The Death of Christ

"This is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Early on in my Christian life, I read James Denney's book, The Death of Christ.  Reading this book gave me a real sense of the importance of the death of Christ. This has stayed with me over the …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Galatians

Galatians

Out of Satan’s darkness, into the light of the Lord ..

Praying Through God's Word

How do we get from this – “Lord, you are the God who saves me” (Psalm 88:1) – to this – “darkness is my closest friend” (Psalm 88:18)? – “An enemy has done this” (Matthew 13:28).

God’s people are under constant attack – from Satan, the enemy of God and his people. Satan is a determined enemy.

How are we raised from the “darkness” of Psalm 88:18? How are brought into the assurance of salvation of Psalm 88:1?

We must remind Satan that he’s, also, a defeated enemy. We do not claim that, by ourselves, we are able to triumph over Satan. We direct Satan’s attention to Jesus Christ,  our Saviour and Lord. We remind Satan that Jesus “loved us and gave himself for us” (Galatians 2:20). We remind Satan that “we are  more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Satan will attack us, again and…

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Journey through the New Testament: Galatians

‘A revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1:12): Christ is our Testimony. Christ is our Message. He is the crucified Christ - ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me’. He is the living Christ - ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but …

Saul replaced, Saul transformed

Two men with the same name - Saul, the first king of Israel, and Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christ and His servants. In both stories, we read of a new man. * In the case of Saul, the first king of Israel, David was the new man. Saul was rejected. He was replaced. …

God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ …

"At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do" (Matthew 11:25-26). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, …

Grace, faith and works – in that order …

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4:1). How are we to live a life worthy of our high calling? Let's go back from Ephesians 4:1, back to Ephesians 2:8-10. There, we learn about grace, faith and works - in that order. We begin with grace. We …

“God forbid that I should glory … ” (Galatians 6:14).

Galatians 6:11-18 "God forbid that I should glory ... " (Galatians 6:14). This is more than "I will never boast ... " Who says, "I will never boast"? Remember Peter. He said this, and, then, he denied the Lord three times. "God forbid ... " is a prayer for God's help. It's not an assertion …

The Holy Spirit – God’s Gift, Not His Reward

In Galatians 3:14, we read about "receiving the promise of the Spirit through faith." What does this mean? It may be helpful to think, first, about what it doesn't mean. We must never think of the Holy Spirit as a reward that is given to us because we have faith - the more faith we …

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace …” (Galatians 5:22-23).

* The love in us comes from the love of God. * The joy in us comes from the joy of God. * The peace in us comes from the peace of God. ... The God of love, the God of joy, the God of peace ... Without God, there can be no love in …

Our faith has come to us from above, from God.

Galatians 1:1-12  "The Gospel" came to Paul "by a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). This was important for Paul - and it's important for us. Our faith has come to us from above, from God. It doesn't come from ourselves. It is given to us by God. At the heart of our faith is …

What no-one else could ever do for us, God has done for us.

"No one can ever buy back another person or pay God a ransom for his life" (Psalm 49:7). What no-one else could ever do for us, God has done for us -  "... the  Son of Man came ... to give His life as a ransom for many people” (Mark 10:45). "God forbid that I should …

A New Beginning (some thoughts from the Scriptures)

Genesis 1:1-3 'Genesis' means 'beginning'. Its opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right. (a) the priority of God(1)  God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) the priority of God's Word (3) God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of …

Love, joy, peace … where do they come from?

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). Love, joy, peace ... - Is this what we find when we look within ourselves? or Do we find something very different? What does Jesus tell us about ourselves? Does he pat us on the back and tell as that, at …

The Lord bless you and keep you …

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven" (Psalm 32:1). The forgiveness of sins - this is such a great blessing. The forgiveness of sins - it's just the beginning of so much great blessing which will continue throughout our life on earth and for all eternity. "Create in me a clean heart, O God,    and renew a right spirit …

The Way of Holiness …

Isaiah 33:1-35:10; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 107:10-22 Isaiah 35:8 speaks of “the Way of Holiness.” Isaiah 35:9 stresses that “only the redeemed will walk there.” This is also the teaching of Paul in Galatians. We must be redeemed by the Lord if we are to walk in the Way of Holiness. Any attempt yo walk in …

Sin lives in me … and Christ lives in me.

In Romans 7:20, Paul speaks about "sin living in me." - That was true  of Paul - and it's also true of every one of us.In Galatians 2:20, Paul speaks about "Christ living in me." - That was true of Paul - and it's also ttrue of every believer.What we are, in ourselves, is one …

In the Cross of Christ, I glory …

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). No boasting of ourselves - only glorying in the Lord: that's what we learn at the cross of Christ. How can we even think of boasting of …

Let us rejoice – Jesus Christ “loved us and gave Himself for us.”

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ...  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:24,28). In God's way of salvation, there's no room for boasting from us. Salvation is God's gift. It's given to us "by His grace." …

Condemned by the law, redeemed by the love of Christ

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'" (Galatians 3:13). The law condemns us - every one of us. None of us is without sin. The love that sent Jesus to the Cross - this is …

Let’s give all the glory to our Saviour.

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ …” (Galatians 6:14). At the cross, we see Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” ( John 1:29). In the cross, we see the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan of salvation – “the …

The Law of God, the Spirit of God and the Son of God

"The law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ" (Galatians 3:24) Some schoolmasters may be viewed as disciplinarians. I think, however, we should see the work of the Holy Spirit here. He convicts us of sin and leads us to Christ. This is not the impersonal law. It's the personal approach of the Holy …

Receiving the promise of the Spirit through faith

Receiving the promise of the Spirit through (Galatians 3:14) What does this mean? It may be helpful to think, first, about what it doesn't mean. We must never think of the Holy Spirit as a reward that is given to us because we have faith - the more faith we have, the more the Holy …

From the heart of the law … a word of love …

In Exodus 20, we read "the Ten Commandments", and, straightaway, we may be on our guard against legalism. In Exodus 20:5, we read words that make us feel that we, sinners, can't possibly come into the presence of the God of perfect holiness: "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children …

Our great privilege and our great responsibility

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). These verses speak to us of our great privilege …

The Name of Jesus …

January 1: The Naming of Jesus – Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7 (or Philippians 2:5-11); Luke 2:15-21 His Name was called JESUS (Luke 2:21). Christmas is over – but let’s not forget Jesus. He is still here. He is still with us. He is for New Year’s Day as well as Christmas Day. He …

Everlasting love …

Isaiah 51:17-54:17; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 109:21-31 ’“With everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:8). “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5). This loving kindness has its origin in the heart of the eternal God. It continues for all …

A new song of joy …

Isaiah 49:8-51:16; Galatians 6:1-18; Proverbs 23:10-18 “The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isaiah 51:11). “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom …

How do we glorify God?

Isaiah 47:1-49:7; Galatians 5:7-26; Psalm 109:1-20 The God who says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other”, also says, “I will not yield My glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11). The uniqueness of the Lord is directly related to the glory of the Lord. God is unique, the one true God. We are to …

Thinking back … remembering God’s faithful servants … and giving thanks to God

" I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Many years ago, in the early years of my Christian life, I was …

Let it be to me according to Your Word …

‘Let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). When we ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), God sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). Let us ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). May the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). This is the way of fruitfulness.

God forbid that I should boast …

"God forbid that I should boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). These words of Paul take us to the heart of the gospel. They remind us of his words in 1 Corinthians 1:23 - "we preach Christ crucified" - and 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "I decided to concentrate …

The Scriptures and the Saviour

"Jesus' disciples saw him do many miraculous signs beside the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ , the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life" (John 20:30-31). There is such a close connection between the Scriptures …

With God we shall gain the victory.

Isaiah 44:24-46:13; Galatians 4:21-5:6; Psalm 108:6-13 “I am the Lord, and there is no other” - This truth is repeated several times over in this part of Israel (Isaiah 48:5-6,14,18,21-22; Isaiah 46:9). The contrast, in Isaiah, is between God and the gods. The contrast, in Galatians, is between Christ’s salvation and other ways of salvation …

The Lord is exalted, but He is also the God who draws near to us.

Isaiah 43:1-44:23; Galatians 3:26-4:20; Psalm 108:1-5 What a majestic description of God we have in Isaiah 44:6 - “This is what the Lord says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty; I am the First and I am the Last; apart from Me there is no God.” This is the God to whom we …

Let’s set our feet firmly on the Rock of ages, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 41:1-42:25; Galatians 3:10-25; Proverbs 22:28-23:9 The Old Testament looks forward to the coming of Christ - “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1). He is the fulfilment of the Old …

Saved by the Lord, we are to give ourselves to Him in worship.

Isaiah 38:1-40:31; Galatians 2:11-3:9; Psalm 107:33-43 “The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the Temple of the Lord” (Isaiah 38:20). Saved by the Lord, we are to give ourselves to Him in worship. This worship is to be in the Spirit (Galatians 3:3). …

God keeps us for Himself so that we might be used by Him to bring others to Him.

Isaiah 36:1-37:38; Galatians 2:1-10; Psalm 107:23-32 “For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 37:32). In a time when many people are turning away from the Lord, God is still preserving His own people for Himself. …

We don’t like change …

We're creatures of habit. We have our daily routines. What are we to say about this? - Take care that you don't get stuck in a rut! If we are serious about our commitment to Jesus Christ, we must be ready for change. Jesus doesn't leave us the way that he finds us. He changes …

Galatians 1:1-3:22

GALATIANS 1:1-2:10  -  ‘A revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1:12) - This is what the Gospel is all about. Christ is the Gospel. Without Him, there is no Gospel. What was Paul’s testimony? What did he preach to others? - God ‘was pleased to reveal His Son in order that I might preach Him…’ (1:15-16). We have …

One Year Bible: Days 243-272

Day 243 Micah 5:1-7:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Proverbs 21:17-26 God wipes out the shadow of our past - He “pardons sin” (Micah 7:18). He shines in the light of His future - “We will be “clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:4). From this standpoint of privilege, we are called to fulfil our responsibility: to be …

Special Days – Springtime: Genesis 8:15-22; Psalm 65:9-13; Galatians 6:7-10; Matthew 6:24-30

Christ has taken away our sin. Let us rejoice in Him.Following the flood, we have this simple yet striking declaration: ‘the ground was dry’ (Genesis 8:13). Safe from judgment! This is the message which comes to us from the Cross: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). …

Praying Through God’s Word: Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2:10Lord, we thank you that You have given to us "a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:12). Christ is the Gospel. He is our testimony. He is our message. Help us to keep Him at the very centre of our life. In our ever-changing world, help us to keep on saying, "Jesus Christ is …