Tag Archives: In Christ

Poetry by the Book – Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,
16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.
19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)
21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
24 And they glorified God because of me.

Poetry: Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.

In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!
The gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it.
So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers
I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many
for the traditions of my fathers.

When he
who called me by his grace,
who had set me apart before I was born,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me
in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult with anyone.
but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

After three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas
I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

I was still unknown in person.
They only were hearing it said,
“he who used to persecute us is now preaching
the faith he once tried to destroy”
Because of me
they glorified God!

In Christ

My approach to reading the Bible has been the same for a long time now.  I read and write about small portions of a chapter, often just a couple of verses.   I know  God is trying to speak to me and sometimes it’s just easier to narrow my focus in that way so I can hear better.  I really had no good explanation of why that method works so well for me until I found this quote attributed to Jean-Pierre de Caussade in the book Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life.  

“Fix your attention upon what you are reading without thinking about what follows. . . . Pause briefly, from time to time, to let these pleasant truths sink deeper and deeper into your soul, and allow the Holy Spirit time to work. . . . Simply let the truths sink into your heart rather than into your mind.”

I read the Word and other resources because I believe there is the reality of the life of Christ in them.  I expect that reality to change my life in Christ too.  Up to this point in this post I’d only read from the book Discernment.  That quote was good but it felt incomplete without a Scripture reference so I did the digital version of randomly opening the Bible hoping for an unexpected surprise of applicable truth from the Word and up popped this verse of the day from biblegateway.com: Colossians 2:9-10.

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”  [NIV]

That truth isn’t particularly mystical because of course the Bible is full of applicable wisdom.  Nevertheless it’s interesting to consider  that particular truth in that particular moment could be the reality of blessing from the Holy Spirit to remind me that “In Christ” is where I want to be.  In Christ I am being brought to fullness of both heart and mind.  May it be so!

Assurance – Swallowed up by Life

2 Corinthians 5
• 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
• 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

What’s next? That’s always the mental “blip” for me after having come to the end of a long string of blog posts with a clear theme like Christmas and the ending of a year. New Year’s day I re-read the last post of 2017. Then I opened https://www.biblegateway.com to the Verse of the Day: 2 Corinthians 5:17, the very beginning of my list of assurances that God’s will is up and running in the life of his children. It felt like my question was answered. Why not begin a brand new year with a brand new look at those assurances one by one?

It was interesting that the scripture makes a distinction between “mortal” and “life” and the two dwelling places involved. It feels like I have one foot in each of the two kingdoms, one good and one bad, but God has created them both! The heavenly one, “life,” often seems distant and the mortal one on earth seems so wounded.

That reminded me how important this part of the Lord’s prayer is: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It reminded me to look at myself and others in this earthly kingdom through the lens of that so often spoken prayer and be assured God’s will is NOT a secret. “…If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”… “so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”