God of mercy and joy, pour out Your blessings on the needs of this dear reader in all that s/he may face; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Today's text comes from Galatians 4:12 Friends, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong. 13 You know that it was because of a physical infirmity that I first announced the gospel to you; 14 though my condition put you to the test, you did not scorn or despise me, but welcomed me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What has become of the goodwill you felt? For I testify that, had it been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you may make much of them. 18 It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 I wish I were present with you now and could change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. 21 Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. 23 One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. 24 Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Ha'gar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. 25 Now Ha'gar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written, "Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one who is married." 28 Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac. 29 But just as at that time the child who was born according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the scripture say? "Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman." 31 So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman.
When Paul became an evangelist he knew that his mission field would include those whom he had been taught to hate. Paul, being a Pharisee, did not like many, except those who held firmly to the Law. When we first met him, his fulltime job was helping kill Christians. Then Christ came into his life and changed his heart. He not only when from hating Christians, he started making them! And not only Jewish Christians but those who were, in his previous mind, "unclean." His method then was to enter into a city, preach in a synagogue for as long as they would let him, and then move with those who had heard and believed, to a house setting where a church would start. Once the church was in a home, others who had nor desired anything to do with the synagogue, would come in and join in as believers. Once the church became established, Paul moved away. We're almost sure that the move was never an easy one; Paul must have felt some sadness and worry about what would happen to those believers he had made, and most of the New Testament comes as a result of things not going so well in those places where he preached and started a movement as well as those places where he longed to go and preach. What has happened here in Galatia is that some of the believers are now feeling a pull from the Jews to return to their roots. The believers are struggling to decide whether they will be Christians or Jews or some combination of the two. Paul writes to instruct them to stay as Christians, who live under grace not law. Paul also knew that it would be difficult to completely change everyone's mind, but he pressed on.
In this passage Paul reminds them that he came and completely identified with them and now they should completely identify with him. He reminds them that during his visit with them he was ill, and speculations on his illness are too numerous to decide for sure what his ailment was (some have said if he had all the illnesses attributed to him, he was indeed one very sick man), yet the illness did not stop his preaching nor their listening to him. And Paul states again that he is there to share with them the truth about Jesus and grace. He tries then to convince them that by spiritual birth they are heirs to "the promise" not the confines of the law. Those who believe in Jesus are children of the Most High not slaves.
Is your Monday the same as yesterday? Do you identify with those at work as you do with those at church? Is there a fellowship in your midst and are you one of the "seasonings" that flavor the conversation and the mood of the work place? Are you free to live as a child of God or are you under the "law" to keep church at church and work at work? And the same could be asked of our home life. Do we live together in our families as children of God or do we set and follow rigid laws that hinder full growth in Christ Jesus?
PRAYER: Loving God, I celebrate being Your child, with all the right and privileges thereof. I pray that I would recognize the good I could be doing right now right where I am. Help me to shine brightly the light of love that first shone in my heart when I needed it most. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
