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Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer to Change to Better Serve God

Holy God, I believe that you will change people and many things, if asked and if it is your will. Change me Lord, if it is your will, for I would lead a better life. Touch me, I pray, great God whose touch transforms. Reach out your mighty hand to me, and to all who seek you in the name of your Son. Heal us, transform us, and make us whole; reach out your mighty hand to lift us up to serve you; touch me and all of us this very day, O Lord, that our own hands may bring your hope and healing to this broken world.

by Mason Barge 8/13

Prayer of Thanks

O  Thou whose bounty fills my cup with every blessing meet! I give Thee thanks for every drop, the bitter and the sweet.

I praise Thee for the desert road, and for the riverside; for all Thy goodness hath bestowed, and all Thy grace denied.

I thank Thee for both smile and frown, and for the gain and loss; I praise Thee for the future crown and for the present cross.

I thank Thee for both wings of love which stirred my worldly nest; and for the stormy clouds which drove me, trembling, to Thy breast.

I bless Thee for the glad increase, and for the waning joy; and for this strange, this settled peace which nothing can destroy.

Meditation

[Transform me and make me whole.]

Benediction

Into your hands, O Lord, Jesus Christ, my God, I commend my spirit. Bless me and all those who pray in faith of You this day; save us and grant unto us everlasting life.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), stained glass panel from St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.

Proverbs 29:1 (ESV)

Galatians 2:1-2 (DP Bible)

Paul Goes to Jerusalem (Galatians #11)

1-2 Fourteen years having passed, God called me to Jerusalem, and so I made the journey with Barnabas and Titus as companions. When I arrived, I spoke to the more prominent Christian leaders and fully expounded my Gospel to them. I did this in private, not because their prominence means anything to me – God gives no credence to the opinions or reputations of men! - but in case there were any point of disagreement. One purpose of my trip was unity, and a public debate would have rendered it pointless, or even detrimental. I do not want to run my race in vain, as it were.

Verbatim Bible

Notes on the Scripture

Paul here continues to tell of his history, to convince the Galatians that the gospel he preached was a direct revelation from Christ — not something he was taught by men — and thus to be regarded in an entirely different category from the teachings of the false prophets that were leading many of them astray. And indeed, he is rather convincing, for he had spent only a two weeks visiting with the “apostles before me” — those who followed Jesus during His human life. Since then, Paul has been in Antioch for over a decade, building the greatest church in Christendom. (Note, however, that the heart of the church stays with Peter in Jerusalem; and when Peter moves to Rome, the home of the church moves with him.) It is unthinkable that his work was built upon an education of two weeks' duration, without books or formal curriculum.

An objection to Paul's apologiaApologia or apology: A formal and extensive defense of one's position. This is a second definition of “apology” in the dictionary. In fact, the entire branch of theology that deals with arguments for the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, etc., is called “Apologetics”. of his teaching is that it is self-authenticating. It is Paul testifying about his own truthfulness.

ut there is an argument in his favor, and this applies to the four Gospels, as well. Galatians was an early epistle and was widely circulated. And Paul wrote many more, including one to the Romans. Yet, there exists not a single word disputing him. Peter and James both wrote epistles long after Galatians. John probably outlived Paul by 30 years, and wrote three epistles himself. These were the three biggest names in the church at Jerusalem and, later, in Rome (Paul) and Antioch (John). They were also the people whom Paul is talking about in Galatians 1 and 2. Yet, none of them says a word criticizing him or disagreeing with him.

Consider the Gospels, while we are on the tangent. Early versions have been lost, but Mark was written while many people were still alive who had been in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion, and many more who had been in Galilee and Judea during Christ's ministry. Yet, there is not a single document disputing them. And despite the severe opposition of the educated Jews of the Sanhedrin, there are no writings that factually contradict the Gospels.

And although Paul is not outright insulting to them, his words about the most revered of Christ's disciples are by no means flattering. His statement to the effect that “they did not add one word to my knowledge” would likely be taken as an affront, if it were untrue. And as we will see later in Ch. 2, Paul will in fact relate an incident where he corrected Peter's conduct; if this were untrue, we would expect to find a defense somewhere. Paul was fiery, but remembering the Gospels, Peter was no shrinking violet himself!

Daily Inspiration

“The Power of Grace”

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