Live for Him

DEVOTION
GALATIONS
LIVE FOR HIM
Gal 3:21-22
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
NIV
There it is right smack in the face. Over and over again I am dealing with the same issue within this letter. Righteousness can only be given and not earned. I cannot do anything to become righteous. I cannot obey enough of the law to become righteous. Even if I could obey every single bit of the law, to the letter, I still could not be righteous. Even though most, if not all, believers today do not give much thought to the Old Testament law given to Moses to impart unto the children of Israel, they do endeavor to adhere to rules believed to be established within the New Testament, at least that is what it appears to me. Maybe it is more of a list of what is considered commandments, which are derived from the ten and expanded on by Christ. If I keep the ten than I could I be considered righteous? How about if I kept the ten and the entire expanded version I would be righteous? It is good to live my life in a manner which pleases God, which is my goal, but I am not sure I am able to do that completely without some failure. Even with the help of the Spirit, my old self still fights to keep control. So how can I ever expect any set of laws, commands, rules, doctrines, or anything else be a way for me to attain righteousness? I simply fail too often to rely on them to be my way of achieving justification or right standing before God. No, I always have to come back to the beginning when I first believed. God saved me from death and gave me life that day and every day simply because I believe. When he sees me he sees his Son Jesus and he sees me as righteous because of Jesus. I have the right to stand in his presence because I believe in Jesus, not because I live by some set of rules, regulations, laws, doctrines, or anything else, but because I live by faith in Jesus Christ. I don’t know why I get catch up in allowing other believers to impose their beliefs on me. Sometimes maybe I think it does matter, if I try to obey those rules. Or maybe I just allow them to think I am trying to obey the rules, but that is hypocrisy. I think I must be honest with myself and with them, and simply declare the truth whenever the occasion happens. In fact that is what I will do. I will declare life only comes because of faith, death comes from the law. Why do people what the law? Why do Christians what a set of rules? Maybe so they can check off the list, I do this, I do that, I don’t do this, I don’t do that. What I know is I do not do lists. I am free of lists. Lists cannot bring me life, only Jesus can do that. Lists cannot bring me righteousness, only Jesus can do that. Because I trust in him, love him and have been made right before God by him, I am living for him. What I do, the way I behave, what I say should be to bring Glory to the Son and to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. I must live for him.