Galatians 6

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.vv.14-16

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This short letter has come to a close and Paul sums up the aim of his letter.  And what was his aim? Basically that the the law is nothing and Christ is EVERYTHING!  
Just as Jeremiah said to boast in knowing God so Paul says that he will only boast in the cross of Jesus Christ, that great work He did by dying for the sins of the world that not one person could ever do or fulfill but God alone.  That's what matters is realizing the need for a savior and that Christ is the Savior that you need.  Nothing else matters for salvation for the Jew or the Greek or the Gentile.  What counts is a new creation and that is what you become when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.  Isn't that amazing?!?!  I mean think about it, it's human natural tendency to work to deserve something, but salvation is not earned by works, but all based on what Jesus did on the cross for us.  He must really care about us and value us to do such a great work like that.
How has understanding this aim of this letter brought peace and mercy on you?

Galatians 5

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. vv.22-23

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Most of us have heard of these fruits of the Spirit, but have you ever really dug deep into each one?  The verse just before the fruits of the Spirit list the contrasts of the works of the flesh:  

adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like (vv.19-21)

This chapter five of Galatians is contrasting living inline with the Spirit verses the flesh. And one of the fruits I constantly struggle with bearing is self-control.   Beth Moore describes in her Bible study Living Beyond Yourself, 

The key to self-control is the refusal to allow our enemies (the flesh, the world, or Satan) to rule or hold us captive in any way. What does “self” have to do with the issue of “control”? Christ has given us the victory over our flesh, our world, and our accuser. Only self can re-extend authority to one of these three enemies. They cannot presume authority over us. In the life of a believer, they can rule only where they are invited. Self makes the choice over the issue of control. The Spirit-led self holds the power of five key words: “no,” “yes,” and “not right now.” Self-control is as much about saying “yes” and “not right now” as it is about saying “no.” Sometimes self-control is not about “what?” but “how much?” and not “when?” but “why?” Self-control is an issue of mastery, of authority, of boundaries. (Week 10 Day 1, page 201)

Which fruit do you see flourishing in your life right now?  Which one is barren? Which desire of the flesh are you letting have mastery over you?

Galatians 4

But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.  But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? vv.8-9

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We all want to be known.  Known deeply.  Not just known of.  When we are truly known by someone we have a deeper connection with them.  Even these Israelites before they knew Christ they weren't fully known by God because they didn't have the Holy Spirit in them.  How crazy of a realization is that!  Of course God knows all His creation those that honor Him and those that don't, but to be fully known is to be yoked with Him and to be yoked with God is believing and following Jesus Christ who has sealed us with the Holy Spirit when we first believed.   But being known can be scary after having felt so unknown for so long.  And this seems to have caused these Galatians to turn back to bondage that they thought was more safe because it was what they knew for so long.  
The Galatians Paul was talking too were Israelites, Jews of the nations.  They had become believers in Jesus through the preaching of Paul.  They couldn't uphold the law fully because they lived outside Jerusalem where the temple was.  But apparently they still tried to do what they could for they were observing days, months, seasons and years (v.10), and all this trying to live by the standard and bondage of the law that was not only works based but ultimately could not save.  This new way of living free in Jesus Christ was new and scary to them it seemed like and hard to break their old habits of bondage.
What bondage do you keep turning back to before you accepted Christ in to your life?  Why do you think you do that?  Do you feel fully known by anyone?  How is that relationship different then others?  Do you feel fully known by God?  Why or why not?

Galatians 3

Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” vv.7-8

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Father Abraham had many sons, 

many sons had father Abraham, 

I am one of them and so are you, 

so lets all praise the Lord 

(right arm, left arm, right foot, left foot)

That's a song many of us may know from Sunday school when we were kids, but are those lyrics really true?  Is Abraham our "spiritual father"? Or what about the term "Spiritual Israel"?  It's a term we hear of sometimes in church, but what do people mean by it?  Is it something true? Are these ideas even described in the Bible for believers today?  Well people like to use this verse in Galatians chapter three to prove that once someone becomes a believer today they become a part of Israel.  BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT THIS VERSE IS SAYING.  Paul is writing to believing Jews in this letter to the Galatians.  He's telling them [Israelites] that they are true sons of Abraham if they showed faith, not just any person in the world can claim to be a child of Abraham if they have faith. My friends and Bible teachers Andy Brown and Nathan Johnson described this with metaphor that helps make more clear this for today: 

Suppose I should claim that only those who love their country to the extent that they would give everything up for it are worthy of being called “Americans.”  In the course of my argument, I declared, “All who love their country to the extent of giving up their lives for it if need be are true Americans.”  Now, someone living in Great Britain received a copy of my statement.  This person is a real patriot, and knows he would give up his life for his country if need be.  Therefore, he decides that, according to me, he must be a true American!  When another person argues with him that he cannot be a true American since he is not an American citizen but rather is British, he replies, “Well, Nathan must mean that I’m a ‘spiritual’ American!”  Would this be a correct interpretation of what I’d said?  Of course not!  The fact is that I was making my argument, not to people from Britain, but to my fellow Americans.  I meant that anyone who lives in the United States and meets the criteria I was promoting is a true American.  Although I did not state that condition, it should be clear to all who heard me that that is what I meant.  The man in Britain who read my statement must realize that he is not my intended audience. (www.precepts.wordpress.com)

In verse 8 Paul is further proving his point that if even the gentiles are bless by believing how much more so will believing Israelites.  So next time you hear the Father Abraham song or "spiritual Israel" (which isn't in scripture) remember that you are blessed to be a child of God because of your faith in Jesus Christ without being literal or spiritual Israel.  

Galatians 2

Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;  for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. vv.11-13

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Hypocrisy.  It's a thing that can really turn someone off or closed to a matter.  No one like a hypocrite yet we all are hypocrites at some time or another.  Here Paul is mentioning the hypocrisy of Peter, one of Christ's apostles, and calling him out in it.  Peter would eat with the gentiles but when certain men, strong followers of Jesus, came around he pretended like he didn't even know the gentiles and wouldn't associate with them.  And this act of Peter led others astray to act hypocritical as well.  I don't know what hurt more: the gentiles feeling betrayed by Peter when he acted this way or the guilt of Peter on himself or these other men feeling and knowing they've been lied to by their fellow brother in Christ.  This specific hypocrisy seems so childish and like a typical teenage issue in schools today of wanting to be popular so one denies certain friends.
Many nonbelievers don't want anything to do with Christianity because they see the hypocrisy of Christians.  We have to realize we're been watched extra closely for any slip up, not that believers never sin but do we live in hypocrisy or confess our wrong when we mess up.  
When have you played the hypocrite?  How can you change that so you live a life of truth?

Galatians 1

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel. v.6

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The letter to the Galatians is written by Paul.  It is his first letter he had written as an apostle.  This first chapter describes some more of his training or learning from God after his conversion in Acts chapter nine till he started on his commission to the Jews of the nations in Acts chapter 13.  This letter is written to the ekklesia in Galatia.  Galatia though is not found in any maps.  Moreover this letter was sent to the Jews of the exile living among the nations (not in Jerusalem).  They were the Jews that didn't uphold the law that Paul went and spoke to, whereas Peter and other apostles were proclaiming the gospel to Jews in the land (the circumcision).  Yet these weren't two different gospels, rather the way they presented were different because of the needs of the people but the same message.

Paul starts this letter right off the bat with the reminder of only one gospel.  Then, and still now, so many were and are falling to the belief that there are “many ways” to heaven, many ways to God.  But there isn’t.  Christ is THE way, THE truth, THE life; He is the only way; He is the only gospel; this can't be true if there are more than one way.   Many religions appear similar to Christianity but have a seemingly slight difference that has major impact on what is true and what one believes of the core or root.

How have you seen someone who once seemed so on fire for the Lord Jesus but has now turned away to a counterfeit?  How have you geared your way of sharing the same gospel message differently to different people?

Revelation 22

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. v.14

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Have you ever compared the first chapter of the Bible with the last chapter? It's interesting to do a comparison of Genesis 1&2 with Revelation 21&22. One thing you'll notice is the reversal of the right to the tree of life. See what other similarities and contrasts are with the first garden of Eden before the fall and to the everlasting paradise.
The majority of this last chapter is like a post script (the first five verses still describing the New Heavens and the New Earth). John is so overwhelmed at everything he has seen that he bows down before the angel that has told him these things. But the angel tells him not to worship him but God for the angel says he's John's fellow servant. How often do we see people today worshiping angels and this ought not to be, nor do they want to be worshiped. Yet even after reading such mysteries of the future and not knowing what to do next, may we bow before God in worship of the One who knows.
After reading the book of Revelation we can grasp some of what these future times will be like, but it is just a glimpse where more questions, wonderings and fathom arises as you study it further. We may not know what to expect but we can praise God that He not only has a plan but that He's included us in eternity with Him for those who have chosen to believe and follow Christ as their One and Only God!