June 3 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The first readers of the letter to the Galatians argued about the question "What must we do to show that we are really a part of God's people?"

One group said that if a person really wanted to be a member of the people of God, he should keep Moses' laws and submit to the rite of circumcision.

People still argue about the question that bothered the Galatians. True, there aren't many who would say that real Christians should keep all the laws God gave through Moses. But many would say that real Christians must accept regulations and believe "revelations" that have come through recent prophets, leaders, and teachers.

In fact, there is real danger today that we or our children may be led astray by human additions to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore we must stress the simplicity of the gospel and emphasize the heart of the matter. Once we are in Christ Jesus, circumcision means nothing and uncircumcision means nothing—it has no value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

All of us carry some baggage from one tradition or another. And countless vendors on Church Street try to sell us more than we can carry. Now we must remember that the only thing that counts, in Christ Jesus, is to have a faith that is active in love.

Faith is the funnel through which we receive the grace of God in Christ. Faith is nothing but empty and open hands, humble and contrite hearts. Once grace is received, it flows through us in works of love. And love is the power to do God's will. Faith is the funnel, while love is the goods we receive and pass on.

A childlike acceptance of the grace of God (faith) and a lifestyle that expresses the Spirit of Christ (love) is the mark of those who belong to the people of God.

REFLECTIONS

Offer a prayer reflecting the thoughts of this reading, especially the last sentence above.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.