REPENT
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28
READING: GALATIANS 5:13-15
Today and tomorrow we will focus on what life can look like when we wrestle the chisel of our formation out of the hand of our Heavenly Father in order to take control ourselves.
In this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the apostle celebrates the freedom that we have because of Jesus. Because of Christ’s work on our behalf in his death and resurrection our Heavenly Father has adopted us into His family and set His seal on us by placing the Holy Spirit in each of us. It is right to celebrate our identity as sons and daughters of God, and yet we can easily slip into a mentality and lifestyle which takes that freedom and privilege for granted. Paul warns the Galatians that they should not use their freedom in order “to satisfy their sinful nature.” (NLT) Rather, they should use their freedom in order to serve one another.
When we make choices based primarily upon what will bring us pleasure, accumulate the most power or generate the most applause, we are misappropriating the freedom we have been given. Essentially, we begin to trust that we know best and convince ourselves that the chisel is just fine to stay in our own hands.
In this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the apostle celebrates the freedom that we have because of Jesus. Because of Christ’s work on our behalf in his death and resurrection our Heavenly Father has adopted us into His family and set His seal on us by placing the Holy Spirit in each of us. It is right to celebrate our identity as sons and daughters of God, and yet we can easily slip into a mentality and lifestyle which takes that freedom and privilege for granted. Paul warns the Galatians that they should not use their freedom in order “to satisfy their sinful nature.” (NLT) Rather, they should use their freedom in order to serve one another.
When we make choices based primarily upon what will bring us pleasure, accumulate the most power or generate the most applause, we are misappropriating the freedom we have been given. Essentially, we begin to trust that we know best and convince ourselves that the chisel is just fine to stay in our own hands.
EXAMEN Practice | Retreat | Replay | Rejoice | REPENT
Retreat - Settle in again and become aware of the presence of your Heavenly Father who loves you and has adopted you as His child.
Replay - Ask Him to help you replay the past 24 hours. Notice the things that come back to your attention.
Rejoice - If there are particular moments that brought joy to your heart, offer them in gratitude to God in prayer.
REPENT - As you notice places in your day where you prioritized self-love over love for others, acknowledge that to God. Tell him that you are sorry, and ask him to help you by guiding you towards a different way of relating to others. There is nothing you can say that He is not aware of. You are not going to surprise Him in any way.
Simply end your time of reflective prayer by thanking Him for his attentive ear. He hears you and you are secure in His faithful love. (Psalm 34:17)
And that will be enough for today.
Replay - Ask Him to help you replay the past 24 hours. Notice the things that come back to your attention.
Rejoice - If there are particular moments that brought joy to your heart, offer them in gratitude to God in prayer.
REPENT - As you notice places in your day where you prioritized self-love over love for others, acknowledge that to God. Tell him that you are sorry, and ask him to help you by guiding you towards a different way of relating to others. There is nothing you can say that He is not aware of. You are not going to surprise Him in any way.
Simply end your time of reflective prayer by thanking Him for his attentive ear. He hears you and you are secure in His faithful love. (Psalm 34:17)
And that will be enough for today.