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Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, February 20, 2026
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Become Like Me (Galatians #44) Bible Verse: Galatians 4:12-14 (BSB) "I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.13 You know that it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14 And although my illness was a trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself. " Message:
When Paul went to live and preach among the people and towns of central Anatolia (Turkey), he did something really rather remarkable; he ceased to be a Jew, or if you prefer, ceased to live like a Jew. While Peter and possibly some other apostles (including second-generation evangelists) had taken actions forbidden by the Law (see Acts 11), there is no record of any of them going “the full monty” and becoming, for all intents and purposes, a Gentile. Paul was the first Christian, in the fullest sense of the word. He was the first kid on the block to take the training wheels off his bicycle, the first follower of Jesus to demonstrate absolute reliance on the new covenant.
This must have aided him immensely in his primary mission, bringing the Gospel to the Gentile world. And so he can say “I became like you” with conviction, knowing that the early converts in Galatia, who were the senior members of the churches, would testify that Paul had indeed abandoned the Law.
Paul in Prison - Rembrandt
Paul in Prison
One cannot imagine a more powerful argument against the Judaizers. They were trying to convince Gentiles to become Jews, telling them it was necessary to live under the Law to follow Christ; but the apostle who had first led them to Christ had abandoned it. Paul makes the Judaizers look absurd. He, the foremost apostle in northern Christendom, has essentially become a Gentile — now the Gentile Christians should do just the opposite, and become Jews?
Using the reminiscence of the time he had been with them in person, Paul segues into sentimentality. His rhetorical strategy seems clear — he is not above using pure emotionalism and personal attachment to “close the deal” with the listeners, for many of them must have had great personal love for him. How could they not? Paul could talk the bark off a tree. When he was put into prisons, he would convert his prison guards!
How Paul came about his rhetorical training is a mystery. But anyone who has read much Greek philosophy will notice the strong stylistic resemblance to Galatians. In the Gospels, we see a strong Semitic influence; Christ Himself spoke in a very Hebrew manner. But Galatians is pure Greek, both in the use of logic and in the progress of argument according to principles of rhetoric.
As an interesting historical note, this passage is one of a very few that give us insight into Paul's physical condition. We know he had some sort of infirmity and we infer, from this and several other incidental remarks in other epistles, that he suffered from some disorder or disease of the eyes. He may have had other physical problems, as well. It is hard to imagine that he led the life he did, constantly traveling through the primitive world, working as a day-laborer, and suffering repeated incarcerations and beatings — at least once he was left for dead — without suffering permanent physical effects.
Meditation : Prayer : The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his people, in every land, of every tongue; the Lord meet in mercy all that seek him; the Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn; the Lord hasten his coming, and give us, his people, the blessing of peace. Amen. |
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