Thought for the Day - Wednesday 7 April 2021

Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)   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. Today’s reading is an extract from Galatians chapter 2.  Following Paul’s dramatic conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus, Jesus gave him the task of bringing non-Jews (also known as Gentiles) to the faith.  People said ‘the one who used to persecute us now preaches the very faith he tried to destroy’.  Peter was predominantly involved in converting Jews to Christianity.  Paul points out that all the leaders who were taking the message to others were equal in the sight of God and that converted Jews were no better or worse than converted Gentiles. Paul had been called by God to return to Jerusalem and he basically wanted to ensure that Peter and the other disciples were preaching the same message to the Jews as he was to the Gentiles.  During this visit, he had reason to take issue with Peter because at one point, Peter had been eating with Gentile converts but when Jewish converts arrived, him and other apostles left the Gentiles and went to sit with the Jews.  Although the Jewish converts claimed now to be Christians, they still obeyed certain Jewish laws in relation to their day-to-day behaviour. Paul reminded them that they become right with God not by doing what the Jewish law demands but by having faith in Jesus Christ because no one will ever be saved by obeying the law.  This would be treating the grace of God as meaningless and there would have been no need for the events we celebrate at Easter. When we become followers of Jesus, whatever went before has to be left behind and whatever lies ahead is down to the grace of Christ alone. Prayer Our Lord and our God, thank you for all you have given us in this life.  Help us never to take it for granted and let us thank you daily in our prayers.  Help us not to be like those who only come to you when they have to ask you for something.  Help us to remember others also in our prayers including those we don’t love as well as those we love.  Help us to be a little more like you Lord in all we say and do.  Amen.