Retreat To The Gospel Of Grace | Galatians 1:15-17

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. — Galatians 1:15-17

CALL OUT: Shout out today to Chris DeBoer from Peachtree City, GA. Thanks for your partnership with the ministry here.

There are a couple of items here worth our attention.

First, Paul views his validity as a communicator of the Gospel as substantiated 1) by God's decision and 2) by God's grace. This means Paul's view of his calling as a communicator was something detached from the usual career path. It was not substantiated by the typical process—heritage, training, education, or endorsement. In other words, his resume was awful, making him the most undesirable candidate ever. Yet God had different plans for him

Second, after his conversion, Paul went away for a while. He retreated to Arabia for a few years. There are a lot of opinions about where Paul resided during this time. Still, some speculate he went to Mount Sinai in Arabia, given his reference in Galatians 4:25, which would be an interesting place to retreat given the material and references to Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar and their two children Isaac and Ishmael. The bottom line is that he spent three years away after his conversion in Damascus, rediscovering the message of the Gospel through the lens of Jesus.

Here's the application today.

Some of you are new believers whose disordered lives have been reordered by Jesus. With this comes all kinds of excitement, but it will also take some time for you to relearn some things. Your life story was like a book with the pages all out of order, making no sense. Meeting Jesus is like someone coming along and rearranging the pages so the story flows coherently. But now, you're still adjusting to this new narrative and figuring out how to live it out. And so you need to give it time. Here, Paul needed at least three years to relearn completely. To reread the ancient Scripture. To understand Jesus as the Messiah. To discover the faith of Abraham. To rediscover the purpose of the law. To see everything through the lens of Jesus and his life, teachings, death, and resurrection from the dead. So give it time. Three years is a good time frame.

There are also some of you who are believers who have received Salvation but have failed to see your story the way God sees your story. You live imprisoned to regret, not in the freedom of God's grace. You replay the tapes of your sin rather than seeing God's glory in your story. Paul's testimony here should encourage you. After these three years, Paul realized that his old story made God's grace and plan for him greater. And he was compelled to teach it and preach it. And those of you who have received salvation and dwell on sin and have not seen the greater story of grace and glory through you—you are missing out. You need to mature beyond a natural state and see the supernatural reality of what God is doing in and through you. This means you need to get out there, preach, and teach it. And suppose you don't know how to do this. In that case, you need to find a mature believer to come alongside you and guide you into understanding through the Scriptures, like these here, how your salvation is a rebirth of you that should lead to a new manifestation of who you are and how you live.

Let me pray:

God, I pray that the people reading today will see their life through your grace. I pray this will guide them into a new understanding of who you are and who they are. It will also launch them into a new season of teaching and leadership that transcends all earthly measures and metrics. Use the believer receiving this prayer to influence their family, workplace, church, and world in new ways because of your powerful grace. Amen.

#DivineCalling #GraceRevealed #JourneyOfFaith #RediscoverTheGospel #LivingInGrace

ASK THIS:

How can Paul's experience of spending time in solitude and reflection after his conversion inspire us to prioritize moments of retreat and quiet contemplation in our own lives?
In what ways can we shift our perspective from dwelling on past regrets to embracing the greater story of grace and redemption that God is writing in our lives?

DO THIS: Live in the new story of your grace.

PRAY THIS: Lord, guide me to see my life through the lens of your grace, empowering me to embrace the journey of rediscovery and transformation, so I may boldly share your love and truth with others. Amen.

PLAY THIS: Call It Grace.