January 15 – Live Resolutely

       Galatians 6:14 - “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

       Living in an ever-increasingly depraved society in 2019, it can sometimes be discouraging to see the older generation rejecting the morality with which they grew up, and the younger generation who knows nothing of morality, except for what is expedient. The generation from the 50s and 60s knew of God's morality. They either embraced it or discarded it as outdated cultural clothing. At the very least, however, they knew of it. The younger generation, by and large, were not raised knowing God's ways; they are foreign to them, since the cultural stigmatism of moral disobedience has disappeared. Conservative people who still believe in a higher moral code are now considered bigots and narrow-minded. One can see the amoral societal agenda being promulgated through the TV commercials, which are widespread.

       We Christians, who desire to please God in everything we do, are warned in Galatians, chapter 5:7-9 “You were running a good race; who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who called you. 'A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.' “ While this chapter in context is debating the importance of circumcision in a gospel of grace versus works, the concept itself in the above verses works in every facet of our lives. Do we want the world to dictate to us how we should think, act and react? No, we need to guard our hearts against the poisonous waters of the world's fountains of “wisdom”. Psalm 119:9-11 gives us the key to staying true. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you [God] with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

        Paul argued in Galatians that the “circumcision group” was pushing their agenda, in order to avoid persecution. It is the offense of the cross that brings persecution. Why? Because the cross was God's punishment for sin, mine and yours. If we proclaim the need for forgiveness and redemption, then we are insinuating that the human race is in rebellion toward God, both in heart and in action. That is what the world finds offensive. So, where is our allegiance? Is it with God, or with the world? We can only serve one master.