From Exasperation to Exhortation | Galatians 4:10-11

You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. — Galatians 4:10-11

CALL OUT: I want to give a shout-out to Ron Ruch from Emmanuel Church in Minneapolis, MN. He's a legacy disciple-maker and sold-out man of God. Ron has lived a lot of life, but he also won't quit. I love you, brother.

Have you ever been so exasperated that you've wondered if you've wasted your time?

We all have. We have felt his way at painful points in our career, during a repetitive issue with a problem child, or in the middle of a project that's gone awry. And Paul feels this way right now. He wonders if all the time and training he has invested into these Galatian churches was a waste of time because they have returned to old rites and rituals instead of living in a relationship with Christ.

I am so glad Paul expresses his emotion here. He is vulnerable just enough to expose his irritation with these people. Because sometimes people and processes can be very irritating. Can't they?

So, if you are exasperated today, you need to know you are not alone. It's okay to feel this way and to share that you feel this way. It is also appropriate to tell the people draining you that they are depleting you of resources because they are unresponsive.

Paul does. And he is not being vindictive. He's merely being honest and vulnerable because he has explained the same thing to them 1000 times.

I believe this is how some pastors feel every Easter.

Yesterday, thousands of inactive members piled into worship services across the world. Most assume that their semiannual pilgrimage to church is all the Lord requires of them. But a pastor will stand in a pulpit twice a year and tell them the same two messages. One about the birth of a Savior and one about the resurrection of a Savior. They are the same story. It is a story about a man who saved sinful men so we could have a relationship with God. Yet people hear the message and are absent from church the other 50 weekends of the year. And why?  Because they believe that their rites and rituals are enough. They don't understand the necessity of a relationship with God.

So stop irritating your pastor. It's your relationship with Christ that matters—rituals and rites mean nothing to God. Jesus wasn't born into this world to defeat death, so you could come to church twice a year. What he wants is for you to have a vibrant relationship with God.

#RitesVsRelationships #AuthenticFaith #PaulineExasperation #BeyondEmptyObservance #LivingInChrist

ASK THIS:

How can we ensure that our religious practices and observances are not merely rituals, but genuine expressions of our relationship with God?

In what ways can we shift our focus from seasonal or occasional religious activities to cultivating a consistent, vibrant relationship with Christ throughout the year?

DO THIS: Change your environment in some small way.

PRAY THIS: Father, help me to move beyond empty rituals and embrace a deeper, more authentic relationship with You. Guide me in living out my faith daily, not just on special occasions, so that my life reflects the love and truth of Christ to those around me. Amen.

PLAY THIS: O Come to the Altar.