All for Nothing? - Galatians 2:21

Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (NIV)

            Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and I remember an embarrassing mistake or something foolishly spoken that I committed years ago. The event or the expression I used stings my pride and I feel sorry for having said or done something stupid that may have hurt or disappointed other people. As I think about my mistake, I wish I could go back and change the past, but that’s not ever going to happen, so I make a silent prayer to God and ask for Jesus to forgive me. I cannot alter the consequences of my error either, but I am able to leave it in the hands of God after confessing my sin.

            This reminds me of why we all need a Savior. We could say to God that we regret the past and will try to be better people by making it up to Him with a whole load of good deeds, but all we would be doing is covering our shame and blanketing our remorse. We can never do enough good things anyway because there are other countless times when we have said or done something stupidly and selfishly sinful in all of our past.

            It is also the reason why the Cross is at the center of our faith. Without Christ’s sacrifice, we would sadly remain unforgiven for the numerous sinful moments across our entire lives. Without the effective work of the Cross, we could never be restored to God’s gracious love. If we could do this all by ourselves then, as Paul simply states, Jesus would have died for nothing, but because we cannot save ourselves, we need the power, purpose, and peace that the Cross of Christ provides for every one of us to be forgiven.

            So, perhaps the next time you or I awake in the middle of the night and recall an embarrassing or sinful moment from the past, instead of dwelling on our stupidity we should think about the wonderful opportunity to be totally forgiven and completely reconciled to God through Christ’s death on the Cross.

Point to ponder

What past regrets do I honestly have that still embarrass or shame me? Have I asked God to forgive me of them in Christ’s Name?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are at the center of history and the focus point of all this universe. Your Life matters to us in so many ways, but Your Death has significantly impacted us by negating our sins in order to let us be restored to our Creator. Thank You for such an amazing gift of love! In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s Good Friday drawings called ‘Empty Sky.’ If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Sky.

The Gospels of Paul - 2 Timothy 4:11

2 Timothy 4:11           Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

            I find today’s highlighted verse fascinating. It seems the two Gospel writers, Mark and Luke, were closely involved with Paul toward the end of his life. Luke had traveled extensively with him throughout the Mediterranean; John Mark had initially worked with him on his earlier missions. From this passage, Paul is isolated and has been abandoned by some of his friends. He seeks the company of Mark and Luke, probably because he feels he can trust them and perhaps still influence their own ministries.

            I find it fascinating because I’ve heard and read many people write or say that they ignore Paul’s Letters and just live as Christians by purely following the Gospels. They seem to think that Paul had nothing to do with how the Gospels were written or what they contained. Today’s verse proves them wrong – Paul had a deep and personal interest in the ministries of the Gospel writers, so he must have given them guidance on what they eventually wrote.

            Some of the anti-Pharisee stories and the trial of Jesus reveal great insights into how the Pharisees operated at that time. Paul called himself a Pharisee of Pharisees, who had personal access to the High Priests and the great Pharisee teachers of both his and Christ’s time. It is my personal opinion that some of these Gospel insights came from Paul, the Pharisee Persecutor, who would have received a lot of personal inside information about the encounters that Christ and His followers had with the Sanhedrin Council, the High Priest and local Pharisees. At one time, he needed the information to condemn, arrest and imprison members of the new Christian sect. It’s amazing to think that what was given to him to persecute the faith, ended up in our Gospel stories from the pens of Luke and Mark, which were written in order to expand the faith. God surely does work in mysterious and wonderful ways!

Questions for personal reflection

What do I think about Paul? How has his influence shaped my Christian faith?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You personally chose Paul to be the appointed Apostle to the Gentile nations. His work for You has shaped who we are Christians today. Help us to recognize his worth to You, as well as his influence over our personal faithful lives. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Communion drawings called ‘Word.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Word.