Bible Reading Plan | Devotion for the week of Feb. 5, 2023

Weekly Reading: Galatians 3:23–4:7 | Romans 6:3–11, 7:1–25, 8:1–17 and 10:1–15 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 | Colossians 2:13–23

“For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:28b-29

Welcome! Thanks for taking time to explore this devotional and our new sermon-aligned Bible Reading Plan. We are praying you will take this opportunity to begin reading God’s Word daily with us. Our vision is for everyone in Warsaw Community Church body to engage together in the scriptures for at least five minutes each day. We know that God is going to do amazing things in and through this church as we commit to growing through regular time together in His Word. This biweekly devotional is meant to accompany your Bible reading and will encourage deeper reflection on key scriptures from each Sunday’s message.

This week we return to Paul’s letter to the Galatian church after a two-month hiatus. As we resume our exploration, we encounter the foundational passage above. In Christ Jesus, we are all one. We belong to Him. And we have been made heirs to all God’s promises. This simple truth is most profound when we grasp its significance for our lives today. In an era of great cultural division, we are united in Christ. In a time where we struggle to find belonging, we find a place of welcome in the family of God. When the future seems incredibly uncertain, we are assured that we can look forward to the fulfillment of all the good things God has promised to those who believe.

It is an immense comfort to embrace all that we have, what I have in Christ. However, there is another side we need to examine. The other side of the coin is this: I know I contribute to the division in my relationships (don’t we all). In fact, Paul wrote to a Galatian church that was being tempted to separate themselves from Paul and the Good News he was sharing about Christ. People and relationships are messy. We can re-read this passage through that lens and be challenged by the ways we may, in our sinfulness, behave in ways that are counter to oneness in Christ. We are tempted to exclude those we don’t deem worthy to experience belonging in Christ. We look to the future, and we allow ourselves to believe fear and scarcity have the final word. To all of the above, God, through Galatians 3:28–29, says “Enough!” The Lord wants us to open our eyes to His perfect perspective on those who are redeemed and be a united church body.

–Nate Metler

• To help you gain a better grasp of Galatians, as we continue to explore this wonderful letter, take time to watch this nine-minute overview from The Bible Project (bibleproject.com/explore/video/galatians/).

• Do you have questions about this week’s Bible reading? We’d love to help! Rather than relying on the first thing you find on the internet, email us at biblequestions@warsaw.cc. We are more than happy to answer that nagging question you have, provide you with some clarity or point you in the right direction for further study.