Read Galatians 2:16-20.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (v. 20)

Automobile accidents are often avoidable. Focusing away from the road will get the driver and vehicle straight into the ditch. The painted lines, arrows, guardrails, and reflectors are there to keep us on the highway. Good deeds done for show and self-centeredness may quickly divert one from the road to heaven. Keep your eyes on Jesus, Who is the true way. You will avoid difficulty, trouble, and dismay.
We live by faith in Christ and not in our human abilities. Faith in intellect, religious attentiveness, or on the law will not help us to succeed spiritually. Even religious impulses fail to save us. Allowing Christ to have clear and free course in our lives (which are not our own) is the only path of holy living. (Dale Chapman)

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
-- Edward Mote

Faith without a Christ-focus is insufficient.

Read Matthew 22:34-40.

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (v. 37).

Man was made to love God. Instead, we are twisted by the selfishness of sin to love ourselves. Love degenerated from a principle of life to a passion. Love as a primary word in defining/describing Christianity goes beyond an emotion that may change with circumstances. It is a purposeful seeking the best interest of another. It is the conquering of all contrary dispositions involving the total person. Emotion may at times accompany the purpose of the heart but it is not the primary distinguishing characteristic. We do not “fall in love” with God, but we set our hearts to love him through an exercise of the will. It is the greatest commandment because we are the most like God and his love for us in fulfilling it. It is the greatest commandment because it demands the mind and the will. This resolve to love positions us to love him more as we know Him because it provides the moral foundation that supports greater love. It is well to remember that the giving and repeating of this commandment precedes both Calvary and Pentecost. With Calvary in view and Pentecost empowering, fulfilling this greatest commandment should be within the reach of all who purpose to find its realization in their lives. (William E. Snider)

“Christian love is not merely an emotional experience
which comes unbidden and unsought;
it is a deliberate principle of the mind and
a deliberate conquest and achievement of the will.”
— William Barclay

Read Galatians 3:22-25.

"But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (v. 25).

How did you come to faith in Christ? Most of us have a story of people who helped us, sermons that convicted us, circumstances that influenced our decision. Seldom have I heard people say that the law of God had a part in bringing them to faith. But in our reading for today, Paul says that it was the law of God that served as a tutor to bring each of us to Christ? How does that work?

Paul himself answers that question in Romans 7:7. The law of God showed Paul that his life was missing the mark. We all needed someone or something to get our attention that we were on the wrong road. It is so easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that all is well – that we are as good as we need to be. It is God's Word that becomes the mirror to show us what is truly in our hearts.

Have you looked in the mirror today? Not the one that shows you if your hair is out of place, but the one that shows you what your priorities are; that shows you whether your goals in life reflects God's plans for you. If so, did your look in the mirror make you change anything in your life? James 1:24 reminds us that many people look at the mirror of God's law, see their faults, then forget what they saw. They fail to listen to the tutor, so ultimately fail the course. (Gordon L. Snider)

Lord, help me to listen to my tutor today!