The Only Thing That Counts

“The ONLY thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6b

First of all, when the Bible prefaces a verse by saying “The only thing that counts,” we should probably pull out the old, trusty, yellow highlighter and see what kind of juice we can squeeze out of it. In verses 1-6a, Paul explains to the churches in Galatia that they no longer live under law, but live free under grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

So what does this mean exactly? This now means my Old Testament obligation to growing a ridiculously good-looking, long beard is no longer required and accepting the grace of Jesus takes over. So living bearded or beardless has no relevance to how far God’s grace reaches (Note: this Biblical example in no way encourages female beard-growing).

In verse 14, Paul goes on to say, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

People don’t care how many Bible verses you know or that you haven’t missed a Sunday morning service in almost 3 years. No one really cares if you have a bachelor’s degree in theology or that you’ve never said a bad word or consumed alcohol. When it comes down to it, people really only care about how you make them feel. They want to know you love them & that you accept them right where they stand in life. They need to see the love Christ has for the world through you!

Understand this: the gospel of Jesus does not become effective through poetic words or catch phrases. The power of this message does not rely on fancy lights & contemporary music. The power of this message erupts into action when YOU become the message. Expressing your faith counts for nothing when not expressed through love. So make your faith count for something & grow your heart’s capability to love. God bless you guys!

Kyle Weber