Who Am I? Part 4: Galatians & Ephesians

Hey, it's Kate, sorry this is so late!

So this Saturday I went to an AWESOME Renaissance Faire, it was super cool! And that night I had my new friend Nicole spend the night & we all watched Saving Mr. Banks- which was a great movie by the way. Homecoming & Spirit Week are coming up, and it should be a blast :)

So Galatians 2:19 tells us that we have died to the law so that we might live for God- now the law Paul writes of is not the kind of law we think of (stealing, trespassing, running a red light) but rather the laws the Jews faced regarding the way they must live their everyday lives and pay for their sins. We are free from the everyday atonement that other religions require, and from some of the original laws that were set in the Old Testament.

Verse 20 continues by saying that we have been crucified in Christ and no longer live for ourselves but live through faith for Christ.

Chapter 4 verse 7 says that we are no longer a slave (to sin or the law), but are God's children. And since we are his children, we are also his heirs. What is our inheritance? Heaven.

Verse 28 says that we, like Isaac, are children of promise. Isaac, born of Abraham and Sarah, was the child promised to Abraham by God that was to bless all nations. We are a child of that promise, too. This also means something more- it means that if we are like Isaac, we were planned by God to be born when, where, and how we were born. We were not an accident or a surprise. We were perfectly formed and planned children, hand-crafted by God himself.

Next is Ephesians 1:4-5, & 7 is a lot to handle, so I'll break it down for you-

Verse 4 declares that God chose us to be blameless and holy in his sight before the world was created! He chose us! And that, is absolutely wonderful to know.  Verse 5 states that he chose us to be so because he loves us!

Skipping to verse 7, we find it says that we have forgiveness "in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us." this is a truly wonderful fact, isn't it? We have been totally and completely forgiven. And we are never allowed to forget it!

Chapter 2 verse 10 tells us we are God's handiwork, created in Christ to do good works. A masterpiece meant not only to enlighten and to be beautiful, but to serve and love as well.

Verse 13 says that we who were once far away from God have been brought close by the blood of Jesus. We were separated from God because of our deeds and desires, creating a chasm between us that could not be bridged by us. But Jesus not only made a bridge to close the gap, but he also washed us clean so that the chasm might not ever separate us again.

Verse 14 continues by saying that God is our peace, and 19 declares that through Christ we are no longer strangers and foreigners but member's of God's very own family.

Chapter 3, verse 12 tells us that we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Let me ask you- how do you treat your best friend? You're confident around them, and you know you can tell them anything, right? Well, God is your best friend too. He loves you as you are and does not judge you for it. But, even better than a best friend, he always knows what is right and encourages you to do better. So approach God with freedom and confidence when you pray.

And now I leave you with one, final thought- If Jesus were coming over to spend the day with you, would you act any differently than you did today?

What stood out most to you in this post? Let us know in the comments!!

Kate <3