Leviticus 26-27

Mark 2

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7

How is our devotion to Jesus? In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he was defending the gospel because they misplaced their devotion to Jesus. They were turning back to the Old Testament Law as the basis for their holy living and their justification before God, thinking that observing the Law was the path to a righteous life. They were getting distracted by Old Testament Judaism and practices that had led them astray.

Paul called the church back to devotion in Christ, writing, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). In other words, “Don’t turn back to old lifeless principles that are contained in the Book of the Law. You have Christ, the righteousness of God dwelling inside of you. Stop trying to flourish in the Christian life by observing Old Testament principles, but get your devotion back onto Christ who has all the freedom and the fullness that you could ever hope for.”

Paul warned that if the Galatians continued down the path of misplaced devotion, something other than Jesus Christ and the gospel would start showing up in the surface of their lives. Paul says, “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:15). There were tensions, fights, slander and gossip in the Galatian church. When our devotion to Jesus has been misplaced, it starts to show up on the surface of our life. We get grumpy and begin to bite and devour those closest to us. The fruit of our lives starts to shrivel up and spoil.

Some of us reading this may be going through the motions of church, where we find the church cold and lifeless. We become weary and heavy laden again, seeking rest for our souls but never really finding it because Jesus is the only One who can give us rest. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

If we are in a season of being drained right now, it could be that we are actually wearing the wrong yoke. John Piper once said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” When Jesus is the object of our devotion, we are satisfied and at peace, even if the circumstances that we find ourselves in are difficult.

Dear God, in You alone am I most satisfied. I ask for You to help realign my life to Your gospel truth found in Scripture and not to turn away from You truth. Thank You, Lord.