Galatians 2:11-3:14.  Wow.  Wow.  There is so much in this passage.  I’m not so surprised by Paul getting in Peter’s face, after all he did run around killing Christians before Jesus change his life.  But look at Peter.  Evidently he had come to Antioch to visit Paul and while he was there joined right in with the gentile believers in their lives.  Can anyone say, pass the ham please”.  Well I don’t know exactly how he participated with them but Paul indicates that he was not being very Jewish in whatever he was doing.  Then some guys come up from Jerusalem and right away he drops the piece of bacon, jumps back, and starts acting all Jewish again (well at least the last part, again I don’t know exactly what form his hypocrisy took).  A little surprising for the guy who cut off the ear of the high priests servant in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:26).  Of course after that he did deny Jesus three times.  But still a little surprising.  Peter was very bold in the first chapters of the Book of Acts though so again a little surprising that he is so wishy washy here. It just shows me that we all fall short in our relationship with God, even the best leaders.  In the rest of the section Paul really lays it on the line about the Law (the customs given to the Jews by God).  He makes it very clear that we cannot earn our way to Heaven.  Like I pointed out in the “Old Testament Connection” page the Law shows us that we are failures in our relationship with God.  As we have been discussing in Sunday Scripture Exploration (Sunday School) we need help and that is what the Holy Spirit is in our lives.  The last two verses todays reading (Galatians 3:13-14) really make that clear.  Jesus took our punishment, he suffered not only physical death on the cross but was separated from God the Father (Spiritual death) for a time so that we could receive a part in the promises made by God to Abraham.  We would receive favor or goodness from God. How would you like to be taken care of by God?  Check out the world He made and owns and controls.  Even in it’s cursed form it’s amazing.  Yea I want to be, and am, on god’s team.  I’ve put my faith for eternity in Jesus and he has given me the Spirit as a helper as the first part of “blessing” my life.  Have you done that too?  Think about it.  Do you want to try to get to Heaven on your own?  That’s an impossible mountain to climb the whole Old Testament history and actually all of history shows us that we fail.  Jesus took the punishment for you.  If you haven’t already, let Him have your life and eternity.  “”But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).  God help us all live by faith in what you have given us.  Help us all listen to your Spirit.  Thank you for looking on us with kindness.  Help me live an honest life for you and not one of hypocrisy.  Thank you God.