Galatians 4:12-16 — Harsh Truths

READ THIS: Galatians 4:12-16

12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
 
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

We don't know what exactly Paul was going through, but we do know that Paul was dealing with some form of physical issue. This version of the Bible calls it an illness, but it could have been from him recovering from being beaten or treated poorly on his mission journeys or something entirely different. What we do know is that when Paul was going through this tough time, the Galatian church cared for Paul in amazing ways. They treated him "as if he were an angel," according to Paul.

So what's the difference now? Why are they not treating Paul the same way? Paul says that their response is only because he is coming at them with the harsh, but real, truth! Sometimes, when people call us out, we can think of them poorly or respond in anger. Real friends are supposed to love each other well and call one another out when they fall short, even if they are met with anger or frustration in return!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Have you ever been called out by a friend? How did it feel, and how did you respond?

2. Is there someone in your life that you need to call out in a loving way?
 
TRY THIS:

If you answered yes to number two... we are challenging you to have an honest (but loving) conversation with that person by the end of the week! Ask Jesus for help, you never have to go through that alone!

Comments

  1. YooonahMarch 10, 2023 at 4:12 AM

    Hey guys, it’s me, Yooonah here. I have definitely been called out before by someone you guys know actually, so this person texted me and was like, “hey, could you stop being so physical with me all the time?”. And it was like a wake up call to reality l which is that, I am very… rough with my friends because that’s how my dad is with me and my sister so it like, carry’s over or something I guess, but I think it is really good to call out your friends for what they’re doing or they’ll never stop unless something bad happens

    I do have one or two people I could call out for something’s but mostly minor things, not like vaping or something but like, really course joking or swearing or something.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 2:1-5 — Marathon Training

R EAD THIS:  Galatians 2:1-5 1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we learned about how Paul went to Jerusalem and shared the incredible things Jesus did, but today, we are hearing about Paul's second time visiting Jerusalem... 14 years later. Paul talks about a bunch of things that happened ...
Read more

Luke 8:19-21 — Jesus's Fam!

R EAD THIS:  Luke 8:19-21 19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Ummmm, hold up, is Jesus dissing on His family here? I mean, I know He is God's Son and all, but at first glance, this passage makes it seem like He is kind of hating on His family! However, if we really look into this passage, it's actually a lot more about us than it is about the family of Jesus.  In case you forgot, the last few passages have features Jesus telling and explaining different parables to a large crowd as well as His disciples. Clearly, the crowd has gotten so large that Mary and Jesus's brothers (yes... Jesus had brothers!) couldn't even reach Him. When someone told Jesus "hey dude, your fam is here an...
Read more

WELCOME BACK! Hebrews Introduction

WELCOME BACK TO DEEPLY ROOTED!!! Greetings fellow Bible readers and Jesus journey-ers! We're stoked to get back in the swing of things with y'all. For any new readers, this section would usually be where our handful of Bible verses will be. The section below would break down what in the world the verses mean. Then, there are some debrief questions for you to dive deeper and an application point. A new addition this year is the Song of the Week! We'll share a song that ties into the theme of the next few verses...if you gaze ahead and have song suggestions, comment below or text! HEBREWS INTRODUCTION: As with any book of the Bible, different Biblical scholars say different things about this letter, but we'll tell you the most probable take. So here it is: Hebrews is a letter written to a group of Jews who were being persecuted for deciding to follow Jesus. It is a letter to encourage them and to show that Jesus truly is the best person to follow despite how hard it was g...
Read more