May 4–Empty It Up

Happy Friday! Ready for the weekend? Yesterday, Georgia and I were talking about endings and beginnings. In order to have a good, fresh beginning, you have to be brave enough to let other things end. The example she gave me was advice she’d heard about time with God. When there is much weighing you down, pour all of that out first. Get rid of the burdens and frustrations you carry and just give them all to Jesus. Then, you can start with an empty vessel for him to fill. It’s tough for the Spirit of God to consume you when you are consumed already. True? It takes the ending or letting go of stuff to truly set the stage for a new filling.

Here in the last section of Galatians, Paul is pretty much saying the same thing. You can’t be full of the Spirit if you let the Law or pride or anything else take up space. Empty yourself of yourself so to speak. 

As Paul brings his letter to a close, he points out that his handwriting is really large.  It's just a little personal comment like any of us might put in any letter, but it lets us know that Paul has weaknesses - in this case, his eyesight. We read in other ancient writings that Paul was bald, scarred, short, and bow-legged.  He even had a unibrow!  Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 10:10 that the church loved his writing but thought he was pretty unimpressive in person.

None of this stops Paul from planting churches all over Asia Minor.  He assumes that, whatever prejudices anyone might have about the way he looks or his physical challenges, this is no obstacle to the Spirit and the spread of the gospel, nor is it an obstacle to him living out the mission he believes Jesus has for him.

Paul tells us, near the end of his letter, that he believes the Judaizers are hypocrites who are just trying to avoid persecution.  They themselves do not obey the Law, but they take pride in how many people they are getting circumcised.  It's hard for me not to think of the scandals that tend to arise in the lives of popular Christian speakers.

But Paul says the only thing he wants to be proud of is that the cross of Christ has made him dead to the world and brought him to life in a new one - a life of the Spirit where Jesus lives through him.

As Paul closes this letter, he challenges all of our preconceived ideas of who is worthy of esteem.  The only thing that matters is how much someone's life looks like Jesus.  Do they sound like him?  Do they act like him?

“It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It doesn't matter how much theology someone knows. It doesn't matter how many books they've written.  It doesn't matter how rigorous their moral standards are.  It doesn't even matter how many people they've shared the gospel with.

The only thing that matters is if they are like Jesus in the world.  This is something that can unite a farmer in rural Kansas with a megachurch pastor in New York.  For ourselves, for our congregations, for our leaders, for people we look up to, Paul leaves us with that final, vital question: Do we/they look like Jesus?

“May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally yours, my friends. Oh, yes!”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Dear Jesus I pray today that we can give up things of this world and fill ourselves with you. You are everything we long for and everything we need. Please Father show us the way to end all our cares and troubles by giving them to you and begin anew by you consuming us. Show us how to be like you. You are our God, our Protector, Provider, and soon coming King! Help us to be watching and waiting everyday. We give you honor and praise this day. Amen and amen. 

Love you dear one,

Pam (and sweet Philip)