Verse: Galatians 1:3-5
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Thoughts
These verses at the beginning of Paul's letters that are mostly introductory can seem like throw away verses sometimes. Not something you really need to read and meditate upon. And I get that.
But when I read these verses, It's amazing how the profound and earth shattering, has become the stuff of intro's. Two truths strike me as worthy of our reflection this morning.
First - "who gave himself for our sins." What an amazingly powerful truth. Do you need to hear this today? You are valuable to God. You matter enough to God that he "gave himself." It wasn't a coercion or a manipulation, it was a voluntary act of great love for you. Not only are you valuable, you are loved by God. How amazing, as you start your day and head into the work week, that you are loved and treasured by the God of all Creation. The King of kings and the Lord of lords, loves you. He cares about you. He knows and sees you.
Second - he "rescues us from the present evil age." This morning as you read the headlines, or worry about life, isn't it amazing to know that God has come to rescue you? There will be times in our lives where the outlook feels so bleak and scary. Where we look at the world, and the uncertainty is almost overwhelming. There will be times when we feel defeated and overcome by the evils of this world.
But God is our rescuer. He reaches down into our darkest moments and rescues us. We can echo David's prayer that, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." (Psalm 40:2).
Thank God, that he has loved us enough to give himself for us. And thank God that he doesn't "leave us as orphans" (1 john 4:18) in this dark world, but comes as our "ever present help in times of trouble." (Psalm 46:1)
Prayer
Thank you for how greatly you love me. I pray that I would lean on you in all times, and that your hand of rescue would lift me up.