August 19, 2025 | Be God's Family
Warning Against Turning to a Different Gospel
Scripture: Galatians 1:6-10(NIV)
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Devotional
Paul warns churches, in Galatians 1:6-10 to be wary of others that try to turn us from the Gospel. Today, many organizations, religions, political parties, interest groups, movies, social media posts, etc. want to have us lean toward directions that stray from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They seem to have convincing arguments that can harden our hearts for the purpose of steering us away from the Gospel. They preach the gospel of “popular choices.”
I love the fact that our pastors preach and teach from the Gospel. They don’t pick and choose what might be most comfortable for us to hear, but they share the wisdom of what the Word calls us to do. They often call us to step outside of our comfort zone. They teach us, as is shared in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, that our foundation of faith, as was given to us by Jesus Christ, is the foundation we should build upon. We should follow the path that the Scriptures lay out for us. We should follow the wisdom of the Word that God gave us.
When the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus “By what authority do you teach?” I think of the Gospel of John 1:1-2 when he wrote “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God. He was with God in the beginning.” I believe the Word was both Jesus and Wisdom. Jesus delivered us that wisdom through the Scriptures and that should be the foundation that we build our spiritual growth upon.
Prayer: Loving God, we ask for your discernment in our choices. Holy Spirit, guide us as we choose to understand your Word and its application to our lives. Help us grow in our spiritual faith and our understanding of the Word in our lives. Amen.
Poem
How To Deal With Lies
Psalm 59
For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, consume them in your wrath, consume them till they are no more.
Psalm 59:12-13b
Why is it, LORD,
That lies speak louder than truth
That my soul shakes violently as
The Accuser spews forth
His vomit
Commanding me to
Ingest it
Chew it
Consume it
As it consumes me?
Allow me, LORD,
To be defiant against falsehoods
To discipline the emotions of my soul as
The Holy Spirit blows forth
His gospel
Wooing me to
Embrace it
Cling to it
Consume it
So it consumes me
