S.O.A.P. for 09-17 The Law

Galations 3: 19+22

S: What then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed of whom the promise referred had some. *Is the law therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come because of the law. But the scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through Faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe...

O: My observation on this is that the Law that was created in the Old Testament was a set of laws to help bring us into a place of righteousness, if we were but able to follow them completely. However, after God watched us for a while, He could see that as a whole, as a society, even then we fell short of the mark, fell short of the Glory of God. He could see that there were but a few with the steadfastness and strength to fulfill these laws and that we were and still are prisoners of sin. So He devised a truly beautiful plan that would save us. Save us from sin, save us from ourselves, and lead us to Him... He sacrificed His one and only Son...to be the curse, to shed the blood, that would save us all, if we would only believe...

A: Here I see that it is by Faith, alone, that I have been saved. Yes, the old laws do mean something, they are vital, and teach us how to live, but living by them alone is not what will save us, no matter how "to the letter" we learn to abide by them. I must focus MORE on just having Faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and less on "do this, do that, and do the other or you're not good enough"... I don't know where it came from , but I do think to myself, if I don't do this, then God won't be happy...if I don't do that, God won't be happy, if I DO this God won't be happy... If I DO that, then He will be pleased...and then I measure others I see by those standards I have placed upon myself.. It's almost like I created my own set of laws to be worthy of Him..and have somehow made my own life a prison, instead of being able to revel in the joy and freedom that comes from knowing and loving and believing in my God. I must let go.. not to behave differently, for just having accepted Him into my life has changed my life, and I would never go back..but I must let go of the "standards" that somehow hold me captive more than they give me peace... It is by Faith in Jesus Christ that I have been saved and I must remind myself of that. This doesn't give me carte blanche to do whatever I want and to go, "Hey, I'm saved, what do I care?" NO, the bible reminds us that the laws are STILL important, it's just that they have taken second seat to the one thing that superceded them, that would lead us to salvation, where nothing else could, Jesus..Even Jesus still spoke of the laws, and upholding the Sabbath, so they're still there..

P: Father God, I pray to You with joy and thanksgiving that I am Saved. I am grateful for my salvation, and I rejoice in the fact that You knew that we were weak... You knew, and yet You never stopped loving us.. You KNEW and yet You still figured out a new way to save us. Your love must be so unimaginable, that to know I am loved that much by anyone is worth celebrating, and worth offering my life to. Father God, help me to see what truly matters in my walk, and the walks of others, and not get stuck and mired down in the details..so that I may shine and rejoice with You!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

What has washed away my sin...
Nothing but the blood of Jesus..