Trust It; Galations series: Life in the Spirit - Tim Knipp

Master-crafted 
to reflect -
to deflect attention 
from ourselves -
we were form
without substance
until His Holy breath
in-spired us.

You have been conned
into a lie -
to think you could earn
the precious gift
of the indwelling Spirit
with human effort!
Did this amazing transformation -
the consummation
of flesh and Spirit -
come from
a man-made source,
or was it
a gift, dropped 
into your upheld hands?

Science is majestically
complex and intriguing
but falls short
of explaining
the excessive
beauty and intricate
designs like
signatures of a Master-hand.

Multiple spirit paths
lead many to higher planes,
yet all but one
eventually dead-end
in the maze
of Truth.

One path,
one gate -
not entered by accomplishments
or earned by brownie points,
but gifted
freely.

Christ died
to satisfy the curse
and fulfill the promise -
bringing the master plan
full circle:
the same breath 
that spoke galaxies
into motion
wants to enter
into all who believe.
Dry bones
animated,
in-spired.

Trust it.

Lay down striving

and simply marvel
at the miraculous gift
strewn upon us
like diamonds
glittering on the
water.

Trust it. 
Live into it.
Christ in
you.

Gen. 1:27; Gal. 3:1-14

Identify; Galations: Life in the Spirit - Jessica Mumley

Who is this face in the mirror?
These days I wonder
as the ground shifts
and things I thought
were stable
lie in ruins.

My shadow stretches
and flexes,
both wider
and more insubstantial
than ever.

Shaken,
I look for something stable
to ground me.

Peter had an earthquake moment
when he stopped celebrating
with non-Jews,
putting up obstacles
for many to trip over.

Paul's response?
This is so old school!
Put off the old 
measuring sticks
and don't ever pick 
them up again.
All that matters now
is that Christ died
and rose for each
one of us.
That's it.
Not rituals,
secret handshakes
or adherence to 
a complex set of rules.
If we could earn it
by effort
we wouldn't need Christ
and His death 
would be useless.

Remove the roles
we layer on 
to hide our nakedness.
Lay them down,
though we shiver
and quake
or we will never know
the skin-to-skin
intimacy
and our absolute
dependence
on Him.

I can list my qualifications,
all I've achieved
and overcome,
all I've held onto
and used to prop me up,
but all of this
is worse than useless,
no more than dung
on the bottom of my feet
compared to
knowing Christ.

I lay down my right
to hold onto anything stable
except my identity
in Christ.
Then, and only then,
can I really live
in a new dimension,
multi-layered
and intensely richer -
watch it shimmer
as it filters through
my spread 
fingers.

Gal. 2:11-13;19-21; Matt. 10:39; Phil. 3:4-5

No Borders: Galatians Series; Life in the Spirit - Tim Knipp

What matters is what
did not happen
when I checked in
with leaders
of the new church.

Daily life as usual in Galatia
had gone on 
pretty much the same 
with minor variations
until I arrived
with my 
mind-shifting news.
It was my privilege
to convert and baptize
hordes of you
before moving on.

As could be expected,
your reorientation
disrupted the daily rituals
and practices
you once cooperated with.
Many misunderstood
and whispered,
darting glances
like arrows.
Unlike exempted Jews,
your denial 
of pagan rites
could be seen as treason.
So you were ripe
for partial truths
disguised as answers:
"Three steps to exemption-status!"
"Do this and be safe!"

But beware
the forked tongues
that obscure deeper truths -
as if you could earn
God's favor and protection
by symbolic acts.
He is not a pagan god
who requires
sacrifice and outward 
exhibitions
before blessings
are yours.

When I presented 
my work before 
the disciples -
that of preaching
salvation by grace
and grace alone 
to the Gentiles -
I was applauded.
Not a word 
was spoken
about converts
needing to become
Jewish.
They understood
what you have not:
that all people are welcomed
into God's family now -
all skin colors, family origins,
linguistic variations
and cultures -
there are no borders
in the Christian kingdom
and visas are granted
to all who believe,
without qualification.

So do not be tripped up
by cultural preferences
disguised as requirements.
Open wide your arms
and embrace the 
holistic good news
and your kin
who may look,
speak and approach
worship differently
but who are your
brothers and sisters
nonetheless. 

Galatians 2: 1-10

Hear Me: Galatians; Life in the Spirit - Christian Lindbeck

Once "chosen" meant "elite -
a designation used as a wall,
a barrier
to keep others outside.
As we pull the wall down,
rejoicing in the influx,
we must grapple 
with new questions:
What happens next
and how do we live now?

Accustomed to 
delineated rules and 
structures outlining
our path,
we now find the way
less clear.
The GPS is now
inside us - 
Spirit-led, we can
find our own way.
This is at once 
less tangible
and more terrifying.

But even so, 
why would you so quickly
fall back 
into a walled city mentality?
You are shaming me
and throwing God's grace
back in His face!

Some people say 
I have no right to preach at you,
as if I am inventing my theology,
ad-libbing as I go along. 
Let me remind you of my credentials:
a lover of God's law to the extreme,
a meeter of Christ Himself,
who called me in person
and trained me one-on-one.
My words are not my own,
but His.
I care not what people think.
These words are not commercialized
to be marketable 
and appealing to the masses -
I speak truth and truth alone.

As zealous as I was 
to eliminate Christianity
as a dangerous sect -
even to the point of murder -
that zealousness has been
chastened but not doused,
redirected to serve God
and Christ
through my knowledge 
of scripture and devotion
to the Messiah
at whatever cost -
even to my very life.

Therefore, please 
hear me.

Gal. 1:6-24; Eph. 36:24-27; Gal. 1

Welcome the New; Galatian series - Tim Knipp

Once a slayer, notorious and fierce -
blinded by Truth,
now spreader of good news,
Paul writes:
This age is rife with trouble
but Christ has come
into the here and now -
a revolutionary rescue.
The age to come 
is here
and we are living it!

In this combined age
all who believe are welcomed -
all colors, languages, cultures - all.
Living by intricate laws
no longer sanctifies -
there is a new and truer way
to right living.

As God's children,
we can crawl into His lap
and be comforted
by His Father hugs -
imagine that!
Holy spaces are 
where He is
and He 
resides
in us.
The new has come,
the old is gone.

Aligned Living: Not DIY - Christian Lindbeck

Modification is not transformation.
We can make all
the right moves,
say the right words,
shine up the exterior
to a high gloss
and convince ourselves
and others
that we are finally
good

but
inside,
at the core,
the rotten truth remains.

Yet,
Jesus is enough.
Let Him walk shadow-close,
try to blend in
so you translusce.

Set free from the law
we daily die
and 
rise,
to new life.

Become fertile soil
and let Him seed you.
Watch what will grow.

Turn to Him
moment by moment
and let go the clenched fist,
lay it down
and
die yet again.

This is not
a DIY project,
nor could it 
ever be. 

Col. 3; Eph. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:5-6; Ps. 1; Ps. 119 among others

Depression: Frozen Sadness Carlo and Kellie Furlan 1Kings 19