Guided By Grace Archives - Page 3 of 175

November 15, 2025November 15, 2025

WORLDLY WEALTH / LUKE 16:9

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Luke 16:9

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

WORLDLY WEALTH / LUKE 16:9

Injustice, greed and power are often involved in the accumulation and use of “worldly wealth.” We must use possessions and money – or anything God has entrusted to us – in a way that promotes God’s interests and the spiritual salvation of others. When Jesus says to “use worldly wealth to gain friends,” He is talking about using your resources to truly help those in need, so as to reach them for Christ, so that they too can one day be welcomed into heaven. In this way, worldly wealth and resources may be wisely used for eternal benefits.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post! May the words inspire and uplift all who read them. Your support and interest mean the world to me, and I’m grateful for every moment you spend here. Stay tuned for more, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!” Blessings, Margarita & Stace

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November 14, 2025November 14, 2025

COMMENDED THE DISHONEST MANAGER / LUKE 16:8

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Luke 16:8

And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

COMMENDED THE DISHONEST MANAGER / LUKE 16:8

Jesus does not give approval of the manager’s dishonesty. Jesus’ point is that worldly people are often sharp enough to use their abilities to promote their own interests and welfare (even if by questionable and dishonest means). In contrast, believers often are not heavenly minded enough to use their earthly abilities and possessions to promote their spiritual and eternal interests.

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
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www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
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November 13, 2025November 13, 2025

MALE NOR FEMALE / GALATIANS 3:28

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

MALE NOR FEMALE / GALATIANS 3:28

Paul removes all barriers to one’s spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, including ethnic, racial, national, socio-economic and gender. All who are “in Christ” are equal heirs of “the gracious gift of life” (1 Peter 3:7), the promised Spirit (Galatians 3:14; Galatians 4:6) and spiritual renewal in God’s image (Colossians 3:10-11). Although men and women are equal heirs in Christ, their God-assigned roles in marriage and their unique distinctions in other aspects of life and society remain unchanged (1 Peter 3:1-4; Ephesians 5:22; Ephesians 5:23; 1 Timothy 2:13, 15).

Bible Study Tools I Use

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www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
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November 13, 2025November 13, 2025

TO LEAD US TO CHRIST / GALATIANS 3:24

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:24

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

TO LEAD US TO CHRIST / GALATIANS 3:24

The Greek word paidagogos, from which we get the word “pedagogue” (teacher, educator, guardian), is here translated as “put in charge.” In New Testament times, the person who was “put in charge” was a personal slave who accompanied a master’s child wherever the child went – including to school – acting as a guardian and exercising a degree of discipline over the child. In a similar way, the purpose of God’s law for a time was to guide people in God’s ways, guard their behavior and provide for discipline. But the highest purpose of God’s law is to reveal sin, to expose our own inability to live up to God’s perfect standard and to point us to our need for Christ and His spiritually saving work (Galatians 3:19).

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
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www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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November 13, 2025November 13, 2025

WHAT THEN WAS THE PUPOSE OF THE LAW? / GALATIANS 3:19

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:19

Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

WHAT THEN WAS THE PUPOSE OF THE LAW? / GALATIANS 3:19

The word for “law” (Greek nomos; Hebrew torah) means “teaching” or “direction.” The law can refer to the Ten Commandments, the Pentateuch (the first five Old Testament books) or any commandment in the Old Testament. Paul’s use of law here would include the sacrificial system that was part of God’s Old Testament covenant with Israel as given to Moses. (The covenant was God’s “life agreement” with Israel based on His laws and promises to them and on their faithfulness and obedience to Him.) Concerning the law, Paul states several things:

It was given by God “because of transgressions.” This means that it (a) defined offenses against God and exposed sin as the violation of God’s will (His purposes, standards and desires based on His perfect character and plans) and (b) awakened humanity’s sense of need for God’s mercy, grace and salvation through Christ (Galatians 3:24; Romans 5:20; 8:2).
Although the Old Testament law was holy, good and righteous (Romans 7:12), it was incomplete in that it could not give people spiritual life or moral strength (Galatians 3:21; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 7:18-19). No form of rule keeping – even keeping and obeying God’s rules – can put us in a right relationship with God.
The law acted as a temporary tutor, or instructional guide, for God’s people, protecting and pointing them in the right direction until complete spiritual salvation was revealed and became available through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:22-26).Up to that time, the law revealed God’s will and standard for His people’s behavior (Exodus 19:4-6; 20:1-17; 21:1-24:8). It also provided for blood sacrifices to cover the people’s sins (Leviticus 1:5; 16:33) and pointed prophetically to Christ’s sin-covering, forgiveness-providing death (Hebrews 9:14; 10:12-14).
The law was given “to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). But now that Christ has come, the instructional role of the law has ended (Galatians 3:25). Though God’s law still serves to reveal God’s perfect standard and to expose our need for Christ, we no longer attempt to maintain a right relationship with God through the provisions of the Old Testament law, including the sacrificial system. Salvation is now based on a new covenant provision (God’s “life agreement” with people based on the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus). The main provision is Jesus’ atoning (sin-covering) death and miraculous resurrection, which sealed God’s new covenant and provided forgiveness and new life for those who surrender their lives to Christ (Galatians 3:27-29; Matthew 5:17).

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
King James Bible
www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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November 13, 2025November 13, 2025

BLESSING GIVEN TO ABRAHAM / GALATIANS 3:14

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:14

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

BLESSING GIVEN TO ABRAHAM / GALATIANS 3:14

The content of God’s promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:8) is defined as “the promise of the Spirit” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). To receive God’s Spirit is to have righteousness (Galatians 3:11), renewed life and all other spiritual blessings that come from a right relationship with God (Galatians 3:3; 4:6).

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
King James Bible
www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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November 13, 2025November 13, 2025

CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE / GALATIANS 3:13

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:13

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE / GALATIANS 3:13

Jesus Christ rescued us from the curse of sin and its final and tragic consequences of spiritual death, eternal punishment and permanent separation from God. He did this by taking upon Himself the full punishment for our rebellion and offenses against God (2 Corinthians 5:21) and by bearing the curse for our inability to live up to God’s law (Romans 8:3). In classical Greek, the reference to being hung on a tree would have referred to stocks and poles on which bodies were impaled (pierced with a sharpened stake thrust up through the body, as for torture or punishment). In this passage, it refers to the cross on which Christ dies (Matthew 27:35; Acts 5:30; 1039; 1 Peter 2:24).

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
King James Bible
www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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November 12, 2025November 12, 2025

THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH / GALATIANS 3:11

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:11

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH / GALATIANS 3:11

Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 to illustrate how a person is justified (made right with God) by faith (Romans 1:17), not by works. The prophet Habakkuk pointed out that one who is justified by faith possesses true inward righteousness (a right relationship with God regarding character, attitudes and actions and the ability to do right by His standard). The prophet contrasted the righteous person with the unrighteous person whose “desires are not upright” (Habakkuk 2:4). Paul also believed that justification by faith involved an actual inner righteousness, not because of a believer’s own efforts and spirit, but because of Christ’s work and the power of the Holy Spirit living within the believer.

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
King James Bible
www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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November 12, 2025November 12, 2025

UNDER A CURSE / GALATIANS 3:10

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:10

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

UNDER A CURSE / GALATIANS 3:10

This statement refers to “legalists” – those who refused God’s gracious gift of salvation through faith in Christ and insisted on pursuing a relationship with God through strict obedience to God’s laws or their own traditions and religious routines (Galatians 2:4; Galatians 2:5). However, no form of rule keeping can put us in a right relationship with God. For that matter, no one can perfectly live up to the requirements of God’s law or earn God’s favor by good works. In this way, the legalists have passed up God’s blessing and kept themselves ‘under a curse” – separated from God by their own efforts that will miss the mark of complete obedience.

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
King James Bible
www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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November 12, 2025November 12, 2025

HIS SPIRIT … WORKS MIRACLES / GALATIANS 3:5

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Galatians 3:5

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

HIS SPIRIT … WORKS MIRACLES / GALATIANS 3:5

HIS SPIRIT

Paul’s various references to the Spirit (Galatians 3:2; Galatians 3:3, 5, 14; 4:6) include

Receiving the inner presence of the Holy Spirit as part of the life transformation that happens when a person accepts Christ’s forgiveness and is spiritually “born again.”
Receiving the baptism in the Spirit, which is available to those who have already received a personal relationship with Christ, as an added measure of power to serve Him and communicate His message to others.
The Spirit’s subsequent work in Christians’ lives – including special gifts and expressions – to strengthen the church, encourage individual believers and help them develop and mature in their faith. Passages related to these various works of the Holy Spirit include Acts 1:4-5; 2:4; 8:14-17; 10:44-47; 11:16-17; 19:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

The particular works of the Spirit that Paul refers to in any given passage can be determined by the terms and context surrounding his references to the Spirit.

When Paul links receiving the Holy Spirit to “believing” (Galatians 3:2) and “beginning with the Spirit” (Galatians 3:3), he likely is referring to the Spirit first coming to live within a person at the point of accepting Christ (receiving His forgiveness, spiritual salvation and a personal relationship with God).
By using the expression “the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:14), which is nearly identical to Peter’s words in Acts 2:33 (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4), Paul is almost certainly referring to the baptism in the Spirit. The reference in Galatians 4:6 indicates that the believers had already been adopted as God’s children (they were already spiritually saved and in a right relationship with God) and that this was the basis for God sending the Spirit into their hearts. This also would refer to the baptism in the Holy Spirit following their spiritual conversation of faith in Christ.
The use of the term “miracles” (Greek dunamis, Galatians 3:5) suggests that Paul is thinking of the supernatural expressions that followed the Spirit’s coming with “power” (Greek dunamis) at Pentecost (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4). It was after this point that the Holy Spirit began to work among Christians by way of His various gifts and empowerments (1 Corinthians 12:1-6).
Paul’s use of the present participles (“give” and “work,” Galatians 3:5) relates to the ongoing display and expression of the Spirit’s gifts, works and power.

HIS SPIRIT … WORK MIRACLES

The ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the Galatian churches involved miracles. For Paul, receiving the Holy Spirit was not just an invisible inward work in individuals’ lives, but an experience that revealed itself through God’s supernatural power working in obvious outward ways among believers. The gifts of the Spirit are normal evidence of the Spirit’s presence and authority (1 Corinthians 12 -14). Spiritual conversion (salvation; being “born again,” John 3:7; entering a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ) and the baptism in the Holy Spirit should continually result in the working of miracles and other supernatural expressions of the Spirit.

Bible Study Tools I Use

NIV Bible
King James Bible
www. biblegateway.com
www.biblestudytools.com
Map Pencils
College Ruled Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pens
Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission – but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!

Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

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