Galatians 2:15-20 (NRSV)
Read Galatians 2:15-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; Verse 16yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. Verse 17But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! Verse 18But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. Verse 19For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; Verse 20and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Devotion
I can hear it. I look up. The helicopter circles over the high desert valley where I live and makes its way down to the center of town. My heart skips a beat in an unconscious sigh and wordless prayer. I wonder what life or death emergency has happened.
The hospital helicopter is called "Life Flight." This sign of hope lands in the middle of suffering. The “Life Flight” literally lifts up those who need to receive care. But it also lifts up those who watch it land and take off.
The Lord Jesus, the one lifted up on the cross, comes to you and me, making way for our new life. We are lifted from the despair of our own brokenness and sin to the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ. New, lifted to the living Lord, we are freed and never the same through the gift of faith. Thanks be to God.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, break open our hearts and fill us with your gift of faith in Jesus Christ. May we daily discover the freedom you bring to love and serve you. In Jesus' name, Amen.