Slaves or Children of Our Master?

My today’s devotional for you if you wish to read it.  Don’t worry.  I don’t think I’ll be sending many of these. 

Ralph

SOAP… S=Scripture, O=observation, A=Application, P=Prayer 

Thursday 11-6-2014  (San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina) Job 30    Ps 120    Gal 3-4  

S.  Gal 4:3-7  We were slaves to the spiritual powers of this world. 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.   6 And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father.   7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you. NLT

O.  Brother Paul is trying to bring his converts back.  They have been polluted with a religion of legalism.  They have swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.  Those of them that were formerly Jews are back into the ceremonies, special days, and special foods.  They are back in bondage to their rituals.  The gentiles among them are being required to do the same.  

“Who do you think you are?” they are asked by visiting legalists.  “Are you better than us Jews who have been working for years to keep every minute sector of Moses’ laws?  You scum of the earth!  How do you think for a moment that God would have anything to do with you?  If you want to make heaven, start climbing the stairs of perfect conduct like we do.” 

It is a futile doctrine of works… the exact opposite of the gospel of the finished work of Christ Jesus. 

A.  Paul appeals to the “Then and now!”  We were… and now we are!  We were struggling slaves… but now we are sons of God!  We were bent low beneath the burden of a whole library full of laws… now we stand erect for the burden has rolled away.  We were climbing the difficult stairs trying to become more holy than those “other people.” Our stairs of legalism were steep.  We climbed up and up.  We labored.  We struggled. We fell back and crawled upward again.  But alas!  The legalism stairway is too short.  It stops far short of reaching God.  We cannot reach genuine holiness this way. 

That was then.  Now what has changed?  In due time God sent his Son, born of a woman.  

What is this?  Instead of us being required to climb a laborious stairway to God, now God Himself steps out of heaven and descends the stairs, bringing His love and grace down to us!  “God, the Father sends His Son to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” This is the gospel… the Good News of Jesus Christ! 

P.  Dear Lord, some of us were raised in an atmosphere of religious legalism.  We were held to a specific set of rules that governed the way the women dressed and wore their hair.  Most of the rules seemed to apply only to women and to young people that wanted to enjoy life.  And in my case most of the rules were made by a woman, “Mother Crawford”, as she was known, the founder of the Apostolic Faith of Portland, Oregon.  Even marriage was taboo since You, Jesus, were coming soon and my parents were taught that considering things like marriage was worldly. They had to sneak off and get married by a Methodist minister.  

I thank You, Lord, that my mother eventually saw through the hypocrisy of this religious system and escaped from its bondage, carrying the three youngest of us with her… into a new life of love and grace and freedom in You. 

And now, Lord, don’t let me go berserk with this wonderful freedom.  Help me to just keep my eyes upon You.  And like a faithful dog staring into the eyes of his master awaiting his desire and poised to respond at a run… may I look into Your face and be alert to Your heart’s desire.  I am no longer bound by a whole library full of detailed laws, but rather tethered by a bond of heavenly love for You, wanting only to please You, my Master and my King.  Amen.