The Cooling Stream

Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:1-5)

The letter to the Galatians was written by Paul.

Paul was an apostle. 

The apostle Paul included his brethren in his letter. It is a good practice to emphasise teamwork and unity among Christians.

The letter to the Galatians was a secular letter to the churches in Galatia.

The apostle Paul greeted the Galatian Christians with the grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. All good things come from God, and it is always a good practice to admit our dependence and submission to God.

Galatian 1:3-5 deserves our attention: "our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen".

Our Father in heaven, 

Hallowed be Your name. 

 —Matthew 6:9

Words do not have to be many to be meaningful. 

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the shortest and most memorable of all Jesus' teachings. 

The Lord's Prayer brings help and healing.

It reminds us that :

God is our heavenly Father.

God's power is at work on earth, just as it is in heaven.

God provides food, forgiveness, and fortitude for each day.

All honor and glory belong to Him.

There is nothing in our past, present, and future that is not included in our Lord’s brief words that help and heal.

It is easy to speak many words and give little thought to the things we say.

Let us rather spend more time meditating on God and His words. 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;
—Psalm 23:2-3

Sometimes we need to be reminded to lie down.

In Psalm 23, Our Good Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters.

God knows that we need calm and rest.

Our bodies need regular rest.

God Himself rested on the 7th day after His work of creation (Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 20:9-11).

Jesus knew there was a time to minister to the crowds and a time to rest. He instructed His disciples to “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31).

When we rest, we refocus and are refreshed.

Rest is a gift. 

 

Rest is a good gift from our Creator who knows exactly what we need.

Praise God that He sometimes makes us lie down in green pastures.

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. — Hebrews 13:17

Pastor makes an easy target for criticism.

Every week he is on display, carefully explaining God’s Word, challenging his people toward Christlike living.

It is easy to overlook all the good things a pastor does, and focus on our personal opinions.

Let's remember that our pastor is not perfect.

Though we must be careful not to follow him blindly, we must only confront his errors through the proper channels. 

Our pastor is faithfully presenting God’s truth and modeling servant leadership. 

Before God, he is responsible for guiding us spiritually. 

We should want him to do his work joyfully and not grievously. 

Causing him grief would be of no benefit to the church.

By honoring our pastor we honor God and make things better for our church.

Let's remember: Every pastor needs the support from his people.