Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Laura Story singing her song … Grace Abounds … poignantly singing of the reality of God’s grace being with/for us when confronting human feelings in life.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Galatians 2:11 [NLT] … 11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.
… At Antioch, Paul challenges Peter’s dealing with the Gentiles there.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Galatians 2:11-16 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… Paul confronts Peter over what Paul felt to be a distortion of Peter applying the Gospel to his interaction with Gentiles.
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Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …
… As we are ambassadors for Christ with His ministry of reconciliation, we must confront those who are unwilling to live out the gospel in their interaction with others.
Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:1-3 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… And seeing how much God was willing to give to us, … what are we willing to give to/for Him?
Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-4 [NLT] … 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
… Christ’s way is always thinking of others before self.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, uses a social picture of friends discussing God’s truth. At a roundtable discussion about reconciliation [see photo], one participant wisely said, “Don’t freeze people in time.” He observed how we tend to remember mistakes people make and never grant them the opportunity to change.
Confronting the truth, especially with those we love, is never easy, is it? Well, in today’s highlight passage, the Apostle Paul felt compelled - certainly by God’s Spirit - to confront Peter about perceived hypocrisy; and it had to have been a very difficult confrontation.
In the Scriptures above, we read how the Apostle Paul was called to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles; and at one point (see Gal. 2:11-16), he confronted Peter because Paul perceived Cephas was being a hypocrite as he interacted with the Gentiles in Antioch. Confrontation is always tough; but Paul was courageous enough to bring God’s truth, compelled no doubt by God’s Spirit, to Peter so that the Gospel would not be hindered.
Perhaps we have someone in our lives, maybe even a dear friend or loved one, whom we need to confront because we think it is clear they are sinning or misapplying God’s truth. Obviously we need to be sure that our feelings conform to God’s will and His word in the matter. But if we seem compelled to confront our loved one/friend with what we know to be God’s truth, then we must!
But when we have to confront others and our feelings of fear, we must alway remember the message of the linked song above and the truth that God’s calling, even into confrontation, is ALWAYS His enablement.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, thank You … for giving us Your will and way thru Your word.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Now, Lord, … help us to show others Your way if they seem to be off of Your track of truth. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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