Today's encouragement comes from Galatians 5:1, where we read these words:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."The default position of the flesh—even in truly converted churchmen—is al-ways back to law, and works. The Galatian church had been sold a "bill of goods" by a Judaizer. He was urging them to add the Old Covenant stipula-tions to their faith in Christ. Some of the Galatians were caving in. The Apo-stle Paul took out all his spiritual guns, and began to blast away (at their works-religion).
Let us recognize that, unless we are very careful, we also will fall back into "ordinary religion," which amounts to nothing more than what a Muslim or an atheist hopes for: rewards based on performance. Instead of this, let us con-tinue to cling to Christ, by faith; and, in so doing, enjoy our blessed freedoms as churched children of the Great King.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Prayer is the pouring out of the soul to God; not the pouring out of words . . . “ —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up for the Down-cast"]
