DAY 1 – OCTOBER 3
TITLE: “FAITH IN JESUS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 3:26-4:7
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:26
Nazarene author and a former professor of mine, W.T. Purkiser said, “Faith is more than thinking something is true, faith is thinking something is true to the extent that we act on it.” Webster’s Dictionary says, “Faith is a firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust; allegiance to duty or a person.” Author, Warren Wiersbe said, “True biblical faith is confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances and consequences.”
Hebrews says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1. The word, faith can mean “belief, trust, firm persuasion, or firm conviction,” but in the Bible, it always finds its object in God. Thomas a Kempis said hundreds of years ago, “I had rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof.”
Paul is writing here about a faith in Jesus Christ. Who and what your faith is in will determine the result or outcome of your faith. Here, Paul is talking about faith in Jesus Christ. Theologian, John Calvin said, “Faith is not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ.” To put your faith in Christ is to embrace who He is, what He taught, and what He has done for us on the cross.
In April, 1988, the evening news reported a story on a photographer who was a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the group as they fell and opened their parachutes. On the film shown on the telecast, as the final skydiver opened his chute, the picture went berserk. The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without his parachute. It wasn't until he reached for the absent ripcord that he realized he was freefalling without a parachute. Until that point, the jump probably seemed exciting and fun. But tragically, he had acted with thoughtless haste and deadly foolishness. As strange as it seems in all the excitement of the event, he had forgotten his parachute. With that parachute, he could not be saved. Nothing could save him, for his faith was in a parachute never buckled on.
Life can be full of many things that can distract us from what really matters. Faith in Jesus Christ is more important than anything else in our lives. Without faith in Jesus Christ, we are jumping into life without preparation for the future. Paul wrote, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9. Have you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
DAY 2 – OCTOBER 4
TITLE: “CLOTHED WITH CHRIST”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 3:26-4:7
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27
What does it meant be clothed with Christ? Author, Neil Wiseman said, “His transforming grace changes us into people of love, mercy, and compassion. As the character of God is re-created in us, we find ourselves following Jesus into the middle of a broken world.” It means to be clothed with the characteristics of Christ.
There are many things that are inappropriate ‘clothing’ for the Christian. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry…You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” Colossians 3:5-8. Paul goes on in his letter to the Colossians to tell them some of the characteristics of those clothed with Christ. He writes, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14.
Clothing yourself with Christ is your responsibility. We cannot blame the people around us or the church for where we are spiritually. Each of us, through the grace and power of our Lord, must put on Christ.
The other morning, our daughter, Amanda, was enjoying summer and was slow getting dressed for the day. As we were talking in her bedroom, she said to me, “Dad, get me something to wear.” Now, through the years, I have learned that my tastes are much different than those of my wife or daughters. So, the clothes in her closet were not clothes I had chosen to purchase. They were clothes, generally speaking, that she had chosen. However, I went and grabbed a few tops and a few pairs of pants. I then asked her, “Is there something here you would like to wear today?” She looked them over and chose one of the pairs of pants and one of the tops I had brought over for her to look at.
Each of us must choose what we are going to wear. Paul writes that the Galatians had clothed themselves with Christ. To be ‘clothed with Christ’ is to assume the person and character of Christ’s righteousness and to become like Christ.
DAY 3 –
OCTOBER 5
TITLE: “NOW I
BELONG TO JESUS”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 3:26-4:7
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 3:28-29
KEY VERSE: “If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29
I
love the thought of belonging to Jesus. The value of something often lies in
the fact that someone has possessed it. Ordinary things are valuable because
they belonged to a particular person. I remember going to Boston, Philadelphia,
and some of the other areas where American history thrives. On some tours, we
were shown several things in the museum and on the tour route. They were
pointed out to us because they belonged to famous people. The value of the item
shown us was related to who it had belonged to. The Christian may be a very
ordinary person, but he acquires a new value because he belongs to God. Peter said it this way, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now
you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy.” I Peter 2:9.
Years
ago, as a teenager, I was asked to sing in church on a Sunday morning. I
decided to sing a song that would somehow give my testimony. I chose a song
that was special to my own heart at that time.
Later, I was asked to play a special piano offertory for another church.
I played the same song, as it was a song whose words had really spoken to me.
Let me share the words with you today. The song is, “Now I belong to Jesus.”
The words were written by Norman J. Clayton.
Jesus, my Lord will
love me forever,
From Him no pow'r of evil can sever,
He gave His life to ransom my soul; Now I belong to Him;
Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.
Once I was lost in
sin's degradation,
Jesus came down to bring
me salvation,
Lifted me up from sorrow and shame, Now I belong to Him;
Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.
Joy floods my soul
for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin
that long had enslaved me
His precious blood, He came to redeem, Now I belong to
Him;
Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.
DAY 4 – OCTOBER 6
TITLE: “REDEEMED”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 3:26-4:7
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “…to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Galatians 4:5
There is a redeemer,
Jesus, God's own Son,
Precious Lamb of God,
Messiah, Holy One,
Jesus my redeemer, Name above all names,
Precious Lamb of God,
Messiah, Oh, for sinners slain.
Thank you, oh my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit, 'Til the work on Earth is done.
When I stand in Glory, I will see His face,
And there I'll serve my King forever, In that Holy Place.
Thank you, oh my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit, 'Til the work on Earth is
done.
There is a redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son
Precious Lamb of God,
Messiah, Holy One,
Thank you, oh my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit, 'Til the work on Earth is done.
And leaving Your Spirit, 'Til the work on Earth is
done. (Melody Green)
Yes, there is a Redeemer. In the fullness of time, God sent His Son to redeem. Paul wrote, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14. God sent Jesus to redeem. Salvation is the end result of redemption, for redemption is the means. God provides redemption for us through His Son, the Redeemer. Redemption is through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Ephesians 1:7. Redemption means that we can have an intimate relationship with God. Romans 3:23-24 says, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God sent Jesus to redeem. Through redemption, we become His children. Can you say with the song writer, “I’ve been redeemed”?
Redeemed, how I love
to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed through His
infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am.
Redeemed, Redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
Redeemed, redeemed, His child, and forever, I am. (Fanny Crosby)
DAY 5 – OCTOBER 7
TITLE: “LIVE IN THE AWARENESS OF WHO YOU ARE”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 3:26-4:7
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Galatians 4:7
It has been written that as the head coach of the New York Giants, Jim Fassel has enjoyed great success on the football field with a trip to the Super Bowl as recently as 2001. A fresh off-the-field success, however, might be his sweetest victory. An article tells his story that began some 45 years ago.
“The year was 1967; Jim and Kitty Fassel
were freshmen in college in Fullerton, California, when they met, fell in love,
and made a mistake. In the late summer of 1968, as they were getting ready to
start their sophomore years, they found out Kitty was pregnant. Since abortion
was never an option for them, they seriously considered marriage before
accepting their parents' advice that being forced into a wedding was no way to
start their lives together. Kitty left southern
Even though Jim and Kitty got married two years later and
raised four more children during their 32 years of marriage, the unanswered
questions about their firstborn son haunted them. They tried for years to make
contact with their son but were unsuccessful, until a change in
The Fassel's reunion with their son, John Mathieson, turned into a genuine reconciliation. Said Coach Fassel: ‘For John, Kitty, and myself, we have lived with an unanswerable question for all these years. If someone had granted us one wish in the world, it would always have been to be together and to know things were okay. Instead, you carry this question around with you, and you never know how it will come out. So to have a day like today, it is a miracle.’
The family resemblance between Mr. Fassel and his long-lost son, John Mathieson, is obvious even at a glance, but for years, Mathieson did not know who his true father was. He bore the image of his father but was unaware.”
We are called to bear the image of our heavenly Father. In this passage, Paul makes us very aware of who we are through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are not to live as slaves to the world or servants to religion. We are to live as children of God. Through faith in Christ, we are children of God. Therefore, we are to live our daily lives in the awareness of who we are. Are you living the life you were called to live, bearing the image of your Heavenly Father?