SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:1-14

OBSERVATION:
The promise of the Spirit, the receiving of the Spirit, is the ‘blessing of Abraham’. Jesus makes this possible by removing the curse. It is not something we earn or deserve, it is something we freely receive. Paul’s frustration comes through that the believers are returning to the yoke of religion, rules and rituals to measure their spirituality.

APPLICATION:
Do I measure spirituality (my own or others) by rules? Do I judge people by their religion? There are good practices that can aid faith in encountering God, but these should not be religiously enforced, otherwise they take the focus away from God. We are by nature ‘religious’, but sin distorts that impulse and it leads us astray. My problem is the opposite, because I resist rituals, I miss out on their benefit.

PRAYER:
Lord, save me from being religious, but help me to discipline my relationship with You in such a way that I do grow in my love for You. Amen.