We revisit Paul's letter to the Galatians in the earlier section of 2:20-3:7,11-12, where the apostle passionately challenges the error of the disciples there falling from grace back to law; turning their backs on Jesus Christ, the giver of the new covenant in his body and blood - the fulfillment of the first covenant with Israel. They have been pressured to return to relying on human effort to keep the Law given through Moses, rather than accept the gift of grace that is adoption into the family of God. Paul insists those who fall back to Law are denying the benefit of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus did not have to die on the cross, if the Law was all that was needed to bring right relationship with God. Then lest we get more confused and think that grace means we do not have a part or work to do, we are reminded in the words of Dallas Willard that “grace is not opposed to effort, but to earning.” Consider a moment: how does your daily life now reflect your being in the family of God, adopted in love as a true daughter or son of Kingdom? How are you showing Jesus in the choices, activities of your routines that you love him and want to make an effort to live up to your new family identity?

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In Galatians 5, the apostle Paul reminds the Christians of the surpassing value of the Holy Spirit given through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus, the fulfillment and ultimate expression of the Law given through Moses, provided the only way to truly live a preferred life. And he offers it as the exponentially superior choice between two paths. We must decide whether we will follow our default path of submission to our sinful nature, ultimately defeated by our woefully deficient self-centered orientation. Or we have a gift we may accept. We can choose the better way of loving relationship with Jesus Christ who alone releases us from the fallout of our sinful nature through the power of His cross to make possible our desiring and capability to follow the Holy Spirit.

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Jesus teaches of our inner life's character in Luke 6, contrasting a good heart and evil one. Our activities and spoken connection with others are rooted in our character. Paul later describes the radically reoriented view of human existence in this physical realm. He holds up the value of eternal life, fully realized in our resurrected bodily experience that far exceeds the frail, brokenness of our present bodily experiences. What kinds of "windows of grace" from Christ may we choose to experiences with our senses to move us to the preferred kind of life where God is at the center- in control?

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In this message, Pastor Greg challenges our church to consider the passive exposure of our minds which determine so much of our outlook, way of thinking, and knowledge of how we are to navigate life as disciples of Jesus in the world. What might happen if we actively engage "media" which grows our life in God, as in the essential spiritual practices? How might a loving accountability agreement between family members or friends make a profoundly positive impact on our outlook and thinking? Romans 12:1-5 is the key text for our response to the abundant grace of God to a broken world, most clearly and finally expressed through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, in sacrificial love and authority over all things, including death itself!

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