No Distractions, Day 11 No distracting thoughts. Read Galatians 4:1-3. Our thoughts can be very distracting. What we see here are individuals that start to think more of themselves can find themselves distracted by perception of position. Paul was reminding them that the heir of an entire estate, if still underage, is pretty much no different from a slave at the estate. When we think about our relationship to Christ, we recognize that we are a child of God. However, the time has not come for us yet to fully inherit everything God has for us. God takes that time to allow us to grow and to learn. Are we…

No Distractions, Day 10 Know your origin story. Read Galatians 3:23-29. Paul takes this opportunity to remind the people that they need to know and understand where they come from. I enjoy superhero stories and a big part of those stories are the origin story. Superheroes need to know where they come from as it will influence who they are and why they do what they do. The same is true with us as believers. We need to understand that our origin story begins and ends with Jesus Christ. We have been made children of God as a result of our relationship with him. If we stay focused on who…

No Distractions, Day 9 Keep your thinking in check. Read Galatians 3:15-22. Sometimes, in our quest to understand things, we end up overthinking things. Our understanding of who God is, and what he has done for us, is really quite simple. However, we often overcomplicate it and try to add in things that just simply don’t need to be there. The Galatians were doing that very thing. They had learned that Christ died for them and that his sacrifice was enough. However, they were now going back and trying to add in all the pieces of the law that they had been taught, trying to understand how to make that…

No Distractions, Day 8 The Example. Read Galatians 3:1-14. When it comes to no distractions, Christ is our example. Here we see Paul discussing all that Christ has done for us. Our sin required payment. Because of that, Christ paid the debt that we owed. How could he do this? Because he was focused on doing exactly what God had called him to do. Christ did not get distracted. Christ didn’t move off one side or the other side. As a result, Christ was able to fulfill every single piece of what he was being asked to do by the Father. Christ is the perfect example of following through, staying…

No Distractions, Day 7 Not earned. Read Galatians 3:1-9. Paul continues to share with the Galatians the importance of understanding their faith. He wants to make sure they recognize that there was nothing they did that earned them salvation. They made a decision to believe in Christ. And because of that decision, that was credited to them as righteousness. Paul even goes so far as to bring up Abraham and remind the people that God made Abraham to be the father of many nations, not just the one nation of Israel. Anyone who believes on Christ by faith is a child of Abraham, not just the people of Israel. The…

No Distractions, Day 6 Dead things don’t get distracted. Read Galatians 2:17-21. Our focus verse today is one of the more famous verses that Paul has written. It’s an incredible reminder that when we accept Christ in our lives, we are, in essence, dying to ourselves and accepting Christ’s life in exchange for our own. As Paul explains, we no longer live. Christ lives through us. Let’s think about what that actually means. We were crucified with Christ. We’ve died. Our old sinful ways have been killed. As we think about this in terms of our idea of distractions, we have to remind ourselves that if we are dead, we…

No Distractions, Day 5 Traditions can distract from truth. Read Galatians 2:11-16. Paul had to make a point. In sharing his backstory, Paul reveals there was a point when tradition got in the way of truth. Paul had to stand up the apostles and remind them of the importance of the truth of God. It is entirely possible for traditions that started with the best of intentions as a way to fulfill the truth of God over time, due to customs or other changes, are no longer portraying the truth that we would desire. The message of Christ never changes, but the method in which we convey that message changes…

No Distractions, Day 4 Don’t give in. Read Galatians 2:1-10. As Paul continues sharing his story, he wants people to understand that there has been those he’s come into contact with who have been a distraction. There are those who infiltrated close to him with the intent of driving him off-topic. We need to recognize that there will be people who are intent on distracting us. We’re not immune to the schemes of others. As we follow Christ, others who are not as interested in following Christ will be aware of us, and may seek to stop us. We need to understand and respond appropriately. Paul knew that these people…

No Distractions, Day 3 Tell the story. Read Galatians 1:11-24. In the remainder of this first chapter of Galatians, Paul shares his story. Paul is steadfastly focused on Christ, and he wants to make sure that the Galatians truly understand why. In Paul’s story, he explains that he was completely and totally focused on persecuting the church up until the point where God got his attention. God had to use such a dramatic means to get his attention so that Paul would understand just how focused he now needed to be on sharing the message of Jesus Christ. We can get lost sometimes in understanding our purpose and our goal.…

No Distractions, Day 2 Know the goal. Read Galatians 1:10. What is the best way to avoid distractions? Be crystal clear on what your goal is. Paul wants the people to understand that he has his goal. He clearly knows exactly what he is doing. He is clear about what he is focusing on, and that is seeking God’s approval and pleasing Him. Do we know what our goal is? Have we lined out exactly what it is that we are seeking to accomplish? Have we made it our decision that we are going to serve and follow God above anything else, or are we still wavering back-and-forth on that…