Tracy's Blog

I appreciate the emphasis on spiritual disciplines during the season of Lent. This year, I want to look at the example of Jesus and each week highlight something in His life on earth that we are to pursue. Today, we start at the beginning of Jesus' ministry: Mark 1:9-11 "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit decending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased."" I have a simple point to make: Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and we need to be as well. This is affirmed in Paul's letter to the Ephesians 5:18b, "be filled with the Spirit". How we are filled with the Spirit is a topic of much discussion throughout the history of the Church and across denominations today. So what are we to do? Perhaps the first step is just to ask the Lord to f...

This is our last week in Galatians 6:1-10. While the work done over the last six weeks has not been comprehensive, I sure have enjoyed looking more closely at the passage. Our last set of verses is Galatians 6:9-10: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Gal. 6:7-8 talked about the reality that we reap what we sow and that sowing to please the Spirit leads to eternal life. Now we are given a very practical way to sow to the Spirit: " doing good " (vs 9). The idea is simple and straighforward but it is not without challenges. There are three I see in the text: 1) In order to reap a harvest, we need to resist weariness and not give up. Each of us needs to monitor ourselves so that we don't " lose heart " (NASB). We need to figure out how not to become weary in doi...

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." It was Henry Cloud and John Townsend (the authors of " Boundaries ") that got me to attend to this life principle: I reap what I sow (unless, as they point out, someone else comes along to "rescue" me and then they end up reaping from what I've sown). But where did they get it? Galatians 6:7. Reading this verse in context of Galatians is very powerful.... and potentially life-changing. So, here we go: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Remember the reference to deception in Gal. 6:3 ? It's about someone thinking they are something when they are nothing. It is this kind of deception - an overinflated sense of one's power - that would allow a person to think they could mo...

"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor." Have any of you ever heard a sermon preached on this? I don't think I have. Pastors and Bible teachers in the circles I've travelled in seem to stay away from passages like this one because they don't want to appear to be asking for money for themselves or put up any barriers to the gospel. I am sympathetic to that having heard too many times about TV evangelists wanting money. Unfortunately, we lose something when we don't talk about the needs of those who give instruction in the Word and the opportunity (even responsiblity) for those who have benefited from that instruction to be the ones through whom God provides. Initially I wondered if this verse was in contrast with verse 5. Isn't everyone to carry their own load? Shouldn't those teachers of the Word be like Paul and support themselves? I got thinking about it and now I see how it is a continuation on th...

"If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load." Over the last two weeks, we looked at gently restoring others and carrying others burdens. I think the person who can do that is a pretty amazing Christian! Don't you? And this is where verse 3 may jar us a bit as it almost sounds like Paul is putting these amazing Christians down! But, he has a point. I can imagine thinking, "Ain't I something for sacrificing my time to drive Betty around?" or "Wasn't that wonderful of me to take that hour to listen to Jordan and pray with him while Mike watched the football game?" But watch out! We may be tempted to think we are something (the Saviour perhaps??) when we are not or be tempted to determine the merit of our actions by comparing with someone els...

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Chirst." What a gift we can give each other as we seek to live this out! Comforting words, a listening ear, a homemade meal, financial help, offers of prayer, and the provision of transportation or childcare are all ways that we can carry each other's burdens when tragedy or trauma strikes - when someone gets laid off or a loved one dies; when spiritual warfare is intense or life just becomes abnormally challenging; when illness or disability drain our strength or old wounds resurface. There are many burdens that we carry. Some are circumstancial, some biological, some have reasons, and some seem completely without reason. Whatever the case, we are to fulfill the law of Christ by carrying each other's burdens. Earlier in Galatians 5, Paul tells the Galatians to not use their "freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love." In fact, he says, "The entire...

Welcome to Week 1 in 6 Weeks in Galatians 6 ! We start off jumping in to one of the more intense aspects of Christian fellowship – what to do when someone you know sins. So, here we go: Galatians 6:1 “ Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted .” The verse is clearly directed at followers of Jesus and what they are to do “ if someone is caught in a sin ”. I've always read that phrase as “caught in the act”. For example: Hearing someone tell a lie and saying, “Hey, that's not true, I caught you.” But the NLT drew my attention to another meaning for “caught in a sin”. It translates that section “ if another believer is overcome by some sin ”. This person is overwhelmed and overpowered by the sin. They can't move on, they don't know how to change, they are stuck. For example: Someone has told a lie and it is now defining them – they are living accordin...