Wow, it has been quite a while since I have been on here and I really enjoyed the journey through Colossians last fall–it challenged me! So, I wanted to do something similar…here’s what I came up with:

I have just started memorizing Galatians this week. As the Lord allows, I will do five (or so) verses a week and will take me through October. I thought it would be fun to weekly post the new text and a quick lesson that God taught me through those verses.

Before we get started, it is important to know that the main theme of the letter is freedom in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to a group of churches in the region of Galatia–it wasn’t one church, but several. Anyways…

1 Paul, an apostle–not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead–2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Yup, five verses, but one very long run-on sentence. 🙂 (Paul had a knack for that…)

As I have rehearsed these verses day after day, several times a day, I can’t seem to get past the fourth verse without the weight of the Gospel falling fresh on my heart. Jesus Christ “gave Himself…to deliver us…according to the will of our God…”

I taught through Galatians last summer and was forever changed by my study of that one word: will. It is the Greek word “thelema” and means,”will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure.” God was inclined to save me. He desired to save me. He chose to save me. He was pleased to save me. And you too. At the expense of His beloved Son.

When the truth of Galatians 1:4 gets in you, and I mean really gets in you–like deep down in your spirit–like it becomes something your heart KNOWS, something your heart BELIEVES–when it is the text that begins to wallpaper your soul–you’re never the same. Never. It is the Gospel.

Welcome to Galatians.