The final word…GRACE.

The final word…GRACE.

GALATIANS 6 v. 18
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.’

I have thoroughly enjoyed our journey through Paul’s letter to the Galatians – an urgent letter in which Paul warns the young church not to lose its grip on God’s grace in Jesus. The temptation ourselves, or the distorted teaching and example of others, risks slipping us back into self-righteousness, making it all about human endeavour, keeping the law, rules and regulations. Paul is clear about the freedom Jesus died to bring, and the new life Jesus rose again to make possible.
Paul began his letter with the words, ‘Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…’, and his final word is ‘Grace’.
The GRACE of God is always unmerited, it is a free gift of His love, which Paul urges us to receive in / ‘with your spirit’ – in the depth of our being.
And ‘Amen’ means ‘yes, Lord’, ‘so be it’.
May this gospel of GRACE, made even clearer through Paul’s epistle of GRACE, guard and keep us on the path of righteousness, holiness, and of Christ-centred, Spirit-filled living, until He returns, or calls us home. AMEN.

Thank you for journeying with me through Paul’s letter. It has been an exhilarating experience. If you wish to comment on what the last couple of months have revealed to you, or what the impact of Galatians has been for you, then it would be good to hear.

A short break for a couple of days, and then our Lenten Journey begins….

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your living word,
sharper than a two-edged sword.
Thank You for St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians,
and for the truth which sets us free.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all
evermore
AMEN.

CHALLENGE
What have been the main challenges for you from Paul’s letter to the Galatians?
How can you keep them alive and seek God’s Spirit for the strength and peace to overcome and remain on the right path – the path of GRACE?
Write down some thoughts, and keep them close to you.
Maybe there’s a particular verse which you might learn by heart, or have as a motto for the coming weeks (this final verse, today, would be a great one – the blessing prayer of St. Paul for the church).

Phil Gough