Today’s Bible reading is Joshua 20 and Galatians 4.
What’s the point of Bible reading? What difference does prayer really make? Why assemble with other Christians to sing? Why observe the Lord’s Supper week after week after week? Of what value are Bible classes? Why sacrifice? What’s the point of denying yourself or pushing past your comfort zones?
Do those questions come up in your mind, especially as the shine of January 1st begins to wear off and you get back to the routines and responsibilities of everyday life? If so, there’s a phrase in Galatians 4 that contains the answer you need to hear.
Galatians 4 begins with news. Amazing, wonderful, life-changing news:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Gal 4:4-5)
But how does this incredible news of what happened 2,000 years ago impact me at the start of 2019? What’s the point? The aim? Why should I strive for godly habits? What does God really want from me and for me? The answer can be found in Galatians 4:19:
…my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
What’s the point? The forming of Christ in you. Why feed yourself with the Bible? Why pray and assemble? Why observe and study? Why sacrifice and deny yourself and push past your comfort zones? That Christ may be formed in you.
The goal of the gospel is that I would be shaped to think like Jesus thinks, talk like Jesus talks, treat others as Jesus treats others, to the glory of my Father in heaven. The aim of godly habits is the forming of Christ in our hearts. We could not dedicate ourselves in 2019 to anything more worthwhile than the goal of Galatians 4:19, that Christ would be formed in us.