2022_02_23 Insight Post- Rusty Coram

The letter to the church in Galatia is important in many ways and one of the biggest ways is that it clarifies the nature of the new life that Jesus offers us. Instead of having to follow rules and laws to gain access to God, we are adopted into His family by the amazing sacrifice of Jesus. Through Him we have freedom to live new lives that are empowered by His Spirit, rather than lives being based on a rule-keeping scorecard.

A verse in our reading this week has very special meaning to me, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

I memorized this verse not long after I became a follower, and one day it became very real to me. I used to have a very nasty temper. In fact, during the months just before I accepted Christ I put a fist through a wall, tore down a door, and slammed my car into gear so hard that I broke the motor mounts and punctured the oil pan… all done in fits of rage. After becoming a Christian, I really began to change but I still struggled with my temper. One day I went out to work on my car (a different one!) and saw that my tools had been stolen. These were top of the line expensive tools, and when I saw they were gone I was furious. I immediately balled up my fist and reared back to slam it into my car, and as I did, that verse came to mind. The translation I had memorized it in said, “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me” (NASV). As soon as I said this, I realized that Jesus would not lose His temper and beat up a car. I stopped and asked for His help and was able to cool off. This new realization, that His Spirit is in me, changed my perspective. The Holy Spirit has all of God’s resources available to help me live, and respond, differently than I ever could on my own. “²²The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control.”        Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)

Of course, I still get angry sometimes, but learning to rely on the Holy Spirit living within me,  has helped me keep my temper in check and made a major difference in my life and those around me.

Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor