It is Wednesday! It is Thanksgiving week! We all have many things to be thankful for and this is the week that has been set aside for us to reflect on those things. What are you truly thankful for? Sunday will be the 1st Sunday of Advent, one of my favorite times of the year. The Busekrus family will be lighting the 1st Advent candle, the candle of hope. Because of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection we have hope! Would you like to be one who lights an Advent candle? I will provide you with the wording beforehand. Please let me know. Also, this is my last email of the week. Here is the devotional from "Connect the Testaments."
November 23: The Games We Play
2 Kings 11:1–12:21; Galatians 3:1–29; Proverbs 7:10–20
We live in the age of online résumés, with pages dedicated to us and our faces. We can broadcast our thoughts in seconds and republish ideas that make us look smart by association. And we do it all in an effort to earn recognition or acceptance. We want to be heard in the midst of the noise—to earn a spot in the spotlight. The works of the law that drove Judaism in the first century AD weren’t much different; they were pitched as a way to obtain God’s favor as well as the favor of others.
Paul responds to the ideals of his age: “Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as having been crucified? I want only to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Gal 3:1–2). Paul’s questions are rhetorical. We’re not saved by works, but by the graciousness of God. It is not through works that the Spirit dwells among us, but through God’s goodness shown in sending His Son to earth to die for humanity and then rise again.
We struggle to admit that we’re looking for recognition—both from God and others. We know we can’t earn our way into heaven, but that doesn’t stop us from trying. We still think that if we can be good enough, smart enough, or successful enough, God and others will accept us. It’s a game we play that is for naught—we cannot earn what God offers.
What are you fooling yourself into thinking is important?
JOHN D. BARRY
John D. Barry and Rebecca Kruyswijk, Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).
Have a blessed Thanksgiving and I hope to see you Sunday!
Pastor Joe
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