Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Maybe you’ve experienced a bumbled delivery. Soggy Chinese food. Cold pizza. Wrong item. Mangled box. But when the item arrives as ordered and in tact, how great it is. I won’t say there’s nothing better than an item ordered and successfully delivered. But it’s not a bad feeling to get that much-needed tool or long-expected replacement.
Paul uses the word, “deliver” to speak not of an item delivered, but of us being delivered from this present age. We have been delivered. Rescued. Redeemed. One commentator observed: The idea behind the word deliver is not deliverance from the presence of something, but deliverance from the power of something. We will not be delivered from the presence of this present evil age until we go to be with Jesus. But we can experience deliverance from the power of this present evil age right now.
This reminder was important for the people of Paul’s day. But it is of vital importance for us today as well. We don’t have to be controlled by the whims and says of the world around us. We don’t have to buy into the hype. We don’t need to get pulled into the vortex of a godless worldview that denies God’s proper place and has no true moral compass.
We’ve been delivered, and as such we need to remember that we are not to add to the world’s turmoil, troubles, and tumult. I recently quoted our Texas District President, Michael Newman, I will repeat that quote. “As Christians, we are not on this earth to join the divisive and anxious narrative of the world. We are here to set the tone of the Gospel: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
We have been delivered from the power and influence of the world. Sadly that does not mean the world stops attacking us, or our flesh does not battle against the spirit from within (cf. Galatians 5:17). The battle is relentless. But we have the Holy Spirit. We have been delivered from the ultimate doom of the world’s influences. We have also been delivered from thinking we’re doomed to fail and never able to repent and find our way back.
We’ve been delivered by God’s grace, and look forward to the final deliverance into the kingdom of glory, life, and light. As we wait, we heed God’s call in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world.” (NLT)
PS: Today is Veterans Day. Join me in thanking God for our veterans. All four of our sons have served in the Armed Forces. One is currently serving as a US Navy Officer. Both Diane’s and my fathers served in the Army in WWII. Those who serve to secure our freedoms have blessed us more than we know.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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