Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Hey guys! I’ve got some good news and some not-so-good news. The good news is that we are going to be walking through Galatians. The not-so-good news is that I’ll be your Uber driver. You’ll be alright! Let’s get rolling.

I have always been intrigued with the concept of authority, which probably comes from all the war history books I read. The military certainly understands that its operations off the battlefield and in the heat of the battle rely on authority. There is a great story about a ranking American soldier who was a prisoner in a Japanese prison camp during WWII. When news broke about the surrender of Japan, he made his way to the Japanese camp commander’s hut, kicked open the door, and said with authority, “My Commander in Chief has defeated your Commander in Chief. I’m in charge now!”

I think this is what Paul was thinking when he started his letter to the churches in Galatia - "Morning guys! It’s me, Paul. You know, the apostle sent to you by Jesus Christ - the one who died and was raised to life by God the Father. I am delivering a message to you from the One who has the right, the insight, and the authority. So, pay attention, because these are not my words but His."

God’s authority has been on display since the Old Testament. When God sent Moses to speak to the Israelites, Moses asked God, “Who do I say sent me?” God’s response was, “Tell them I Am sent me”. One of my favorites is when Jesus was on the cross. Colossians 2:14-15 reads, “...having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, and which was hostile to us: and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He (Commander in Chief) had disarmed the rulers and authorities (commander in chiefs, little c), He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”

Hopefully, Paul’s salutation caught their attention. The churches of Galatia, established earlier through Paul’s house planting expedition, had been doing well. They were new Christians eager to learn, but some Jewish Christians decided that what they needed was Jesus plus some religion. What a turn-off to a world lost and searching, right? It's just another set of rules to follow. I Am does not need anything added. We will spend some more time here and dive a little deeper tomorrow.

I loved the “Salt & Light” Message Series we just finished. When I find myself spiritually distracted, I always turn to the Gospels and read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It’s refreshing to get back to basics, you know? Often, we need to look back to remember who Jesus is, and what He did, and learn from the One who has the authority.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Read through one of the Gospels (Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and pick one attribute of Jesus that you would like to improve on in your life. What would that be?
  
• Where would you start?
• To continue studying this passage, head over to the Unschooled & Ordinary podcast, where the podcast team unpacks the Book of Galatians in the episode, "5 | Galatians."
• Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for your power and authority. Help me to care about what Your Word says more than what the world says. In Jesus' name, Amen.