The Glorious Gospel

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him, who called you in the grace of Christ..."  Galatians 1:6

The most astounding part of this one Scripture to me is the first phrase, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from HIM."

When I look back on my entire Christian journey and experience, the hardest thing to grasp (yet which turned out to be the most simple) AND the greatest opposition to the grasping was indeed, knowing Christ as the Living One - the WHO of the Gospel, the WHO of the walk, the WHO of the how, the WHO which would live in and through us, keep us, strengthen us, guide us, talk to us, cause us...

This is the marvelous power and grace of God - to allow His Son to come and dwell in us - mortal jars of clay.  Galatians is a refreshing book to me.  I need to read it often, because of the incredible reality that flesh loves to return to something other than Christ Himself.  Actually I believe the default of the flesh is to be law-based, legalistic, "figure it out on my own," kind of breed.

God has shown us that truth is revealed by Him to our hearts.  Christ is revealed.  In I Corinthians 2:9-12 shares with us that eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him. BUT God has revealed them to us by His Spirit. 

It surely takes the Holy Spirit in us to cut through all the things of this world that come against the mind - things that twist, things that distort or keep us from the free flowing, glorious, powerful Christ of God, all because of His grace.

For my heart there is no separation from grace and Jesus Christ.  If I have Jesus Christ, I have grace.  If I have grace, I have Jesus.  Grace is Him - the fact God would allow Him to come dwell in me is more grace than I'll ever deserve.  But this is why we would call God's Gospel, The Marvelous Grace of God.

So when things happen that are not fun, or try to kick the air of us, we keep needing to return to Him - hope in Him, trust in Him as the ONE - the only ONE who is the Righteous one of the Universe.  Jesus is the goodness of God to us, He is the hope of God for us and to us all the time.  And praise His name, HE is working out HIS Righteousness and Life in and through us.

There is no other message.  And if He is for us, no man can be against us.  If a heart trusts in Him, He will put us over, see us through.  He really is the Lord, the Head of His Body, the Head of the church.

And the other day He gave me this precious thought which I cling to even now.  When we talk about "Abiding in Christ," He impressed on me as to whether or not I understand just actually where I was abiding - not just WHO I am abiding in.  And this is when the Scripture came to mind and I could not help but smile.  Like He was saying, "Sue, WHERE am I as well as in each believer?"

"Far ABOVE ALL principality and power and might and dominion and every named that is named, not only in this age but also in the age which is to come."  Ephesians 2:21

So next time we are indeed gazing upon Him within our hearts and thinking of WHO He is, let us also remember that as we are seated within Him in heavenly places, we are with Him FAR ABOVE all this evil, arguments, debates, and every "high" thing that exalts itself against the true knowledge of Him."

Abiding with you in Him,

Sue Gaither