Seek First – Kingdom Focused Devotionals

Dr. Trammel is the executive pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.  Auxano Press has the distinction of publishing a new book of daily devotions by Dr. Trammel.  We want to give you a little taste of this book and thus will share a few of these devotions over the next several months.  The books are available by the case through Auxanopress.com.  They will make wonderful gifts for church members.  They are available from your local bookstore and online from Amazon.com.  If they don’t have them in stock, they will order them with the ISBN  _____________.  Hope you enjoy these selections from Living Water by Dr. Stephen Trammell.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren.  Amen” (Gal. 6:18).

                The letter ends with a closing blessing.  There are no personal greetings as is the case in many Pauline letters.  We cannot speculate whether this is the case because of the tension which exists throughout the letter but we can say that the short ending makes the admonitions of the letter have their full and intended force. 

                Even though it is brief, it is cordial ending with the endearing term “brethren.”  Despite all that has happened, Paul clings to the hope that they will respond as fellow-believers.  For that reason he prays that “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” will be with their spirit.  Grace has been the theme of the entire letter and thus is a suitable ending.  This idea of unearned and underserved merit is the essence of the gospel. 

                Once again Paul mentions all the names of the Lord.  They emphasize His glory, His salvation, and His divine and regal commission.  This grace is to be with their “spirit.”  Grace is to permeate the inner being of the Galatians so that they are conformed to it and conduct their lives according to it.  The commanding “amen” calls for all to agree with the call to grace living. 

Prayer:  With Paul we say “amen” to grace.  Amen.

“From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear the brand-marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

                In a final personal appeal, Paul asks that he be spared the trouble caused by the persons who have allowed themselves to be deflected from following Christ.  The wavering of the believers in Galatia has caused much pain to the Apostle who now refers to this pain as “the brand-marks of Jesus.”

                “Brand marks” is a translation of the Greek word stigmata.   Paul refers to his personal suffering as brand-marks of Jesus, not because he received the same wounds in his body which Jesus received, but because his personal suffering has allowed him to fellowship in the suffering of Christ (2 Cor. 4:10, Phil 3:10, Rom. 8:17, 2 Cor. 1:5, and Col. 1:24).  This theme of suffering seems a bit foreign to our modern day ears where the “health and wealth” gospel are so pervasive.  We need to be reminded that following Christ means a whole new way of life that will often cause affliction in our present world order.  Just ask the many Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith. 

                Do you bear the brand-marks of Jesus?  Is your life so marked by Christ that those who oppose Him and all He stands for also oppose you?  We sometimes escape affliction because we are unwilling to bear the brand-marks of Christ.  This passage reminds us that we should not only pray for the persecuted church, we should pray that we would be willing to bear the marks of Jesus. 

Prayer:  Father, may my life so reveal You that people would see the brand-marks of Jesus.  Amen.

“And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). 

                 The phrase “this rule” is a summary statement to tie together all that Paul has said concerning the new point of departure from the cross of Christ.  Everything in life must be measured by this new standard.  The cross is the new standard determining what is valid and what is not valid.  To walk by this rule simply means to conduct one’s life by it. 

                Those who choose to direct life by the cross will know peace and mercy.  “Peace” is to be taken in the sense of the fruit of the Spirit (5:22) which points to our eschatological salvation.  Further Paul speaks of mercy which God has promised His people in His covenant and thus an expectation of the people of God.  Such a promise is most appropriate in a letter which has emphasized receiving the promise which was promised to the seed of Abraham (3:18, 29, and 4:28-29).  The phrase “Israel of God” thus here denotes the new Israel which is comprised of Jew and Gentile made one in Christ. 

                As we continue to meditate on the cross and resurrection, let’s remember that true peace comes through God’s mercy.  We are people of a new community precisely because Christ was willing to die for our sin.  Oh the thought of God’s mercy. 

Prayer:  We cannot begin to comprehend the height and depth of Your mercy for us.  Amen.

“For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Gal. 6:15).

                Once again we can see that Paul’s concern is not about “circumcision” itself.  He is concerned about the integrity of the gospel.  Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any value when it comes to the matter of salvation.  The only thing that matters is being a “new creation.” 

                Human flesh cannot inherit eternal life and thus man must experience new life in the Holy Spirit.   Eternal life is not simply a future promise but a present reality for the person in Christ.   “New” is a beautiful word and here it includes everything that has been given in and through Christ—it is the new reality of the invasion of the kingdom.  This new creation is first of all a gift that brings with it new relationships and responsibilities. 

                In this new kingdom reality, circumcision has no relevance.  What counts is the circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:29), the gift of the Spirit which is the guarantee of this new covenant.  Do you have a new relationship with God guaranteed by the Holy Spirit? 

Prayer:  Father, I thank You for new life in Christ.

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

                This verse is so rich, we need to meditate on it another day.  This is the day we call Good Friday and thus it is once again appropriate that we think upon the cross.  Yesterday we focused on what it means to say that the world has been crucified to me.  All earthly attainments and attachments pale into insignificance when one understands the value of the cross and the brevity of earthly life when compared with an eternity serving God. 

                Notice that Paul says that he has been crucified to the world.  Everything that comes from the world as a means of validation or vindication has been considered as dead.  Paul could consider all his earthly accomplishments as little more than rubbish in the light of his new gained righteousness in Christ (cf. Phil. 3:8).  His status as a Pharisee or a member of the tribe of Benjamin added nothing to him and thus he had been crucified to the world’s standards.  They were dead to him. 

                This passage underscores the absolute sufficiency of the gospel.  For Paul the cross is the only sufficient ground on which to build one’s life.  For that reason, Paul’s entire life is governed by the cross.  The person who lives and dies by the standards of achievement determined by the world will be destroyed with the world and that eternally.  By the cross the believer is saved from this destruction.  Have you learned to direct your life and to measure your accomplishments solely by the cross of Christ?  Are you clinging to any element of greatness determined by the world?  Release it today. 

Prayer:  Father, I will cling to the old rugged cross.  Amen.

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

                Paul now sets his own motives and goals in opposition to the false teachers.   Like the Judaizers, Paul does “boast” or “glorify,” but his basis for boasting is a threat to anyone who seeks their own glory.  He boasts in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It seems paradoxical to boast in the cross since to the world it appears to be an image of weakness and shame.   Paul, however, invests it with great glory by using the full expression “Lord Jesus Christ.”

                Through the cross the world has been crucified to me and me to the world.  The “world” here speaks of anything and everything outside of Christ in which man is tempted to place his trust and claim glory.  Because of the cross, the whole world has been crucified for Paul.  It no longer has any allure for him.  He has willingly turned his back on everything which he once saw as gain. 

                It is fitting that our devotionals this week focus on the cross.  Let’s listen with new ears to Paul’s personal testimony about loss and gain which he found in the cross.  “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7-8). 

Prayer:  All things that I may gain Christ.  Amen.

“For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh” (Gal. 6:13).

                In this case “those who are circumcised” refers specifically to the heretical teachers.  These teachers, who are making such an issue of the law, do not take it seriously themselves.  Paul is not only referring to man’s inability to keep the law but also the hypocrisy and practical expediencies which the foremost proponents of the law often took in their interpretation of the law.  You might be reminded of the eight “woes” pronounced by our Lord on the scribes and the Pharisees (see Matt. 23), who made such a show of their self-righteousness and yet created loopholes to avoid the obvious teaching of the law. 

                The real motive of these Judaistic zealots is selfish pride.  They want to boast that they have led Gentiles to accept the mark of circumcision.  Their concern is not for the welfare of the Gentiles but a simple issue of pride that they had convinced these Gentiles (believers) of the necessity of circumcision and Jewish legalism. 

                There is a note of caution here for the church today.  Do our efforts to reach others ever degenerate into a numbers mentality which allows us to boast in the number of converts?  Is our ultimate motivation the salvation of the lost or the building of our church?  Actions and motives are both important as we present the truth of the cross. 

Prayer:  Father, forgive me when I am tempted to boast in my own fleshly accomplishments.  Amen.

“Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ” (Gal. 6:12). 

                This verse serves as a summary of the critical issue being faced by the Galatians.  Paul is not only concerned about the actions of the Judaizers; he is concerned about their motives.  They want to be popular with their audience and thus their emphasis on circumcision is calculated to curry the favor of people, particularly the Jews of the dispersion. 

                Paul, however, sees beyond this immediate concern to the ultimate issue.  They want to escape persecution.  The cross of Christ is the cause of persecution which the Judaizers fear.  The preaching of the cross speaks loudly of the complete sufficiency of Christ’s redemptive work and thus of the lack of need for any additional works such as circumcision.  The term translated “be persecuted” is a general term which speaks of the enmity and opposition that the preaching of the cross created among the influential Jews (cf. Acts 13:45, 50). 

                In his Corinthian correspondence, Paul speaks of his decision to preach nothing but the cross, even though it was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23).  Yet through God’s calling it is the power and wisdom of God (1:24).  It is appropriate that we are thinking about the cross this week as we anticipate Easter Sunday morning.  There is no resurrection without the cross and no redemption apart from the cross.  Have you come to the cross of Christ?  Do you trust Him alone for your redemption? 

Prayer:  Father, to the cross alone I cling.  Amen.

“See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand” (Gal. 6:11).

                Many people enjoy collecting autographs.  It allows us to have a piece of history and provides an emotional connection with the person who has shared the autograph.  The apostle has arrived at the concluding comments of this rather passionate and sometimes painful letter.  He wants to assure the Galatians that what has been said came from his hand and heart.  Paul probably used a scribe for the writing of the body of the letter but now adds the concluding comments in his own hand.  This Pauline signature assures the validity of the letter and presses home these final comments.

                The significance of the “large letters” has been debated by various commentators.  Some suggest they indicate that Paul had poor eyesight or that he was inexperienced in writing.  It seems more likely that “large letters” is essentially the same as underscoring or italicizing in modern day print.  It drew attention to that which was written so that the point would not be missed.  We can be sure on this point, that the Holy Spirit prompted Paul to give instructions which would have meaning for its first readers and its twenty-first century readers. 

                The miracle of Scripture is that it speaks with the same power today that it did 2000 years ago.  Are you hearing and obeying it?

Prayer:  Father, teach me Your word that I may more closely follow You.  Amen.