"No Difference"
June 24, 2016
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, and heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:26-29
NOTE: This devotion may not be suitable material for those who are young. Please review this material before sharing. Thanks, Pastor Klaus
There are times, indeed, most of the time, I forget just how radical a religion Christianity really is.
Then something happens which awakens me to the wonderful temporal and eternal changes the Savior has brought into this world.
Case in point: a 22-year-old lady from India: Somera Bibi.
Not so long ago Bibi had been married to a young man. In order for this marriage to happen, her family had to come up with a dowry of 100,000 rupees ($500) and some farm land. You should know that even though the dowry system is supposed to be illegal in India, there are many places where it is still commonly practiced.
So, Bibi got married and that should have been the end of the story.
It should have been.
In Bibi's case, there is a rest of the story. The family into which she married asked for more money. Altogether they asked for, and received, another 250,000 rupees. And why would they do that? They did it because Bibi had a dark complexion and, in India, it is assumed the darker an individual's complexion the lower the social group from which that person comes.
Bibi's husband and in-laws bled her family dry. Then, when there was no more money left to give, Bibi protested. She protested and the family into which she had married murdered her -- cruelly, painfully -- all because she had a dark complexion.
Now I would love to tell you Bibi's story is one of a kind, that she was the victim of an incredibly prejudiced family.
Unfortunately, I can't. India reports that from 2012 to 2014 there were over 24,771dowry deaths like that of Bibi. (That averages out to about one death every hour.)
In contrast to what I have just shared, read what it says about Jesus' people in the passage above. There we find there is no
* Jew or Greek,
* slave or free,
* male or female.
We are all alike because we are all sinners who have been called to faith by the Holy Spirit and forgiven because of Jesus' powerful sacrifice on the cross. We are redeemed and loved because of the Christ's glorious resurrection from the dead.
All of which makes our Savior and our faith incredibly special.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that You have given us a better world than we could have imagined or earned. For the transformation in this world, as well as our salvation in the next, receive my thanks and praise. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
