I don’t like verses being taken out of context so I am actually NOT going to make a social image for this. I just don’t want people sharing an image with something that can be so misinterpreted without having a background. We’ve been going through the book so logically we have some background 😛

Rejoice:

Read:

Galatians 6:4, NLT: “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.”

Yesterday we discussed how close to walking in sin we are, it’s just a few decisions away. Our response to that was to “be real,” which means just admit that’s true! Today Paul continues to concrete the need for paying attention to our walk. He states that if we pay careful attention to our own lives, evaluating it, trouble shooting, etc. we can actually live in a way that we can be satisfied with a job well done! I chose to put the NLT version of this verse here because it somewhat explains the verse as it takes out the word “pride” and replaces it with “satisfaction of a job well done.” The word “pride” carries so much negative baggage behind it we rarely remember it’s definition.

Most of my messages seem to be challenging but this one is really positive! If you evaluate your lives and keep track of growth etc. you can find satisfaction in what God has been doing. Look at YOUR life not compare it to other’s… Paul mentions that if we just look at our lives and see how we have changed from day to day instead of comparing ourselves to others we will find immense satisfaction in what God is doing!

We often get caught up in the mire of all of our failures. Satan clouds our vision with our shortcomings. This is essentially the same tactic he uses when we sin. He drives us to shame and hopes it leads us to pull away from the father. In this version he clouds our satisfaction of the Lord by making us preoccupied with our “slow growth.” We don’t actually pay attention to our walk in it’s entirety so we miss out on all this satisfaction in the Lord. As humans we LOVE to worship the things we are enjoying. We talk about them non stop. In fact, most people (some exceptions) don’t feel fully fulfilled from something until they can share the news with others. That’s why Facebook and other social media are so popular. SOOOOO Satan clouds our satisfaction with the desire that it will decrease us worshiping God. He wants us to talk about Him less, talk TO Him less, and everything else in that realm. That’s his goal.

Solution: Galatians 6:4, NLT: “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” Evaluate your life, be real, and find satisfaction.

Respond:

God help me to remember You are working uniquely in my life. You have plans to change me but they are specifically for me. Help me to not grow weary by comparing ourselves to others. Lead me to satisfaction for Your glory!!

Relate:

Remind as many people as possible that it’s easy to grow weary when we look at other people. However, if we look at our lives and how it’s a beautiful picture God is painting we can find satisfaction! Remind them that they are to evaluate things based upon their own lives! If you combined little pieces of a bunch of paintings it wouldn’t look as nice BUTTTTTTTTTT when you see how each small part of a masterpiece lends to the overall picture it is mind blowing! Stop comparing small portions of your mural to other’s. It doesn’t work that way.