Rise Daily: March 2

Rise Daily: March 2

This week’s theme and passage:

The Centrality of the Gospel

Galatians 2:11-21

MEMORY VERSE

Memorizing scripture is a way to keep God’s word close to our hearts. Each week we will select one verse of scripture to remember as a community.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

THE WORD

Each day’s devotion will focus on one part of the week’s passage.

Galatians 2:15-21

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

MEDITATION ON THE WORD

In our busyness and distraction, it is easy to skim through our reading rather than taking it in. Yet we believe this is the inspired word of God. Take a moment to pause, thank God for the scriptures and ask him to speak to you through them today.

When Christ exchanged places with us on the cross, it was not merely for the sake of sparing us our just punishment. He had greater plans than that. He was creating a new kind of people for a new kind of world.

But it takes the death of our old selves on the cross through Christ to allow for the resurrection of our new selves by his power (see 1 Cor. 2:14).

Paul recognized this. In a sense, he was saying: “Everything that used to be me was crucified with Christ.” His life was radically changed.

As we contemplate the cross and ourselves as “crucified with Christ,” what do we see? Christ put his whole human existence on that cross: his body, his emotions, his reputation – his identity. And for the greater glory that was to be revealed, it was absolutely worth it to him.

Receiving the glorious new life that Christ has in store for us, means that something has to be done about the old (see Phil.3:7-11, and Luke 5:38).

But drops of grief can ne’er repay

The debt of love I owe;

Here, Lord, I give myself away,

’Tis all that I can do.

—Isaac Watts

RISE REFLECTION

One of our goals in the Rise campaign is to create a plan of discipleship that helps lay people in the church learn how to live in line with the truth of the gospel in every sphere of their lives. What does the gospel mean for your job? For being a neighbor? For being someone who loves others? As the gospel shapes you, it changes the culture you create and multiplies expressions of God’s hope across our city.

PRAYER

For your Heart

Contemplate the places in your life that you have withheld from the cross. Admit your weakness and ask Christ for grace sufficient to exchange those things for the joy set before you.

For your Church

Give thanks for your brothers and sisters in the church in all stages of development. Pray that grace would permeate our relationships with one another.

For our City

Pray that as you move about your sphere of influence, you would consciously recognize those aspects of yourself that do not reflect the redemptive love of Christ, and ask him to crucify those things.