Churchtoons, cartoons from Church

Saturday, January 7, 2017

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul refers to God's people as God's heirs. One way of

thinking about this might be to see ourselves as instructed by the Old Testament Law,

but now as juniors in God's business of helping and saving. Do our actions suggest we are

we living like true children of God and joint-heirs with Christ?

When Herod heard the news of Christ's birth, his response is mass-murder.

All who are confronted by the person of Christ are forced to show their true nature.

What's your response to the idea of God's Son coming to our world to bring us true peace?

Rom 8:2 proclaim that we are free from the constraints of the flesh. Sometimes Christianity is

seen as too restrictive. The truth is that we can find great freedom in Christ by curbing

our natural inclination to seek confirmation from others.

Western society often teaches that appearance plus works equals acceptance. This is NOT the

teaching of Christ. I Co 12:27 teaches that in Christ we are already accepted and are connected

to the Godhead as his "body." May we in the visible church accept each other with the same grace.

Philippians 2:6-8 describes some of the ways Christ humiliated himself in order

to free us from the shame of our sins. Should we not drop our self-shaming and

the shame we place on others in order to embrace the gift of God's Son?

We all have a tendency to elevate ourselves above those around us. The Bible puts us all

on equal footing at the cross of Christ. Here we have no status other than "child."

The basis of Christianity is not in a set of rules or behaviors. It is the sacrifice that

Christ made for us and His current position as ruler of our lives. I Co 15