A look at what it means to thirst for God from Psalm 42

Jesus challenges us to become like children and to care about children

The Bible tells us that this life isn’t all there is; that God designed us for more than the few years we live on this earth and that in fact this life is meant to be the runway for us to reach greater heights and a better destination.

Paul turns to an agricultural metaphor to teach us how we can see more of the Spirit’s work and less of the flesh’s rotten work in our lives.

Our effectiveness in reaching our community with the gospel will always be vitally dependent on our relationships within our church community being marked by the fruit of the Spirit.

But legalism isn’t the only danger a church can face â€" on the other end of the spectrum is something the Bible calls “license” â€" where churches get careless about how they live and grace becomes an excuse to sin.

Paul continues the theme of freedom that he began in chapter 4 where he compares those who try to earn God’s favor by keeping the law to Abraham’s son Ishmael who was born by the slave woman Hagar, and those who trust in Christ to Isaac, born to Abraham and Sarah long after it was possible for them to have a child.

The verses that we are looking at are Paul’s “last word” in his argument from the OT against the legalistic teaching that is threatening to infect the community of believers in Galatia.

When someone influences us it means they change us in some way. It might be how we think, how we behave, how we speak, or choices that we make. But who or what influences us can effect the very trajectory of our lives.