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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.

For Joy in God’s Creation

O  Heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty; Open my eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that rejoicing in your whole creation, I may learn to serve you with gladness, faithfully managing your bounty; for the sake of him by whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

For Strength and Peace

O  Thou who art my quietness, my deep repose,
My rest from strife of tongues, my holy hill,
Fair is Thy pavilion, where I hold me still.

Back let them fall from me, my clamorous foes,
Confusions multiplied;
From crowding things of sense I flee, in Thee I hide.
Until this tyranny be overpast,
Thy hand will hold me fast;

What though the tumult of the storm increase,
Grant to Thy servant strength, O Lord, and bless with peace.

~ based on Toward Jerusalem by Amy Carmichael

Meditation

“There is nothing new in the story. It is as old as the Sibylline Books. That long dismal catalogue of the fruitlessness of experience and the confirmed unteachability of mankind.”

~ Winston Churchill

Parting Prayer

Oh Lord as I face creation
Let me see with eyes made clear
By Your promise of salvation,
Never to return to fear.

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.

St. Paul, by Jacob van Oost the Younger, ca. 1660.

Proverbs 29:1 (ESV)

Galatians 2:1-2 (DP Bible)

ourteen 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.

DP Parallel Bible (3-Column) - Galatians 2

Notes on the Scripture

The Authenticity of Galatians (Galatians #11)

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. 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 apologia of his teaching (i.e., his formal defense of his position. Look up “apologetics” to learn more) is that it is self-authenticating. It is Paul testifying about his own truthfulness.

But 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 wrote two epistles long after Galatians. John outlived Paul by perhaps 30 years and wrote three epistles himself. James wrote an epistle. 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; many more people read early drafts of Mark, people who had been in Galilee and Judea during Christ’s ministry. Yet, there is not a single document disputing Mark or any other Gospel. And despite the severe opposition of the educated Jews of the Sanhedrin, there are no writings that factually contradict the Gospels.

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 beginning in verse 10, Paul will 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 Peter was no shrinking violet himself!

Daily Inspiration

“Failure”

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