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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, January 28, 2021
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Slavery and Freedom Bible Verse:Galatians 4:21-23 (Daily Prayer Bible) "Those of you who think you want to be subject to the Law, listen to what the Law itself says. Abraham had two sons, one of them with a slave and one with a freewoman. The son born to the slave was conceived in the flesh, but the one born to the freewoman was conceived in God’s promise. Verbatim Bible 21 Tell me, the under law wishing to be, the law not you hear? 22 For it is written that Abraham two sons had, one from the slave girl and one from the free. 23 but the from-the-slave had been born according to the flesh, while the from-the-freewoman had been born of a promise. DP Parallel Bible (3-Column) - Galatians 4" Message:
Galatians 4 divides into four parts. Part 1 is the metaphor of a child who is destined to inherit a title and great wealth, yet is no better than a slave in his youth because he is subject to the discipline of guardians. This child is compared to the Hebrews under the Law, while Christians are compared to the child after he reaches the age of maturity.
Part 2 is direct discourse on the same subject. We are born as slaves to nature (“the elements”) including, perhaps, our natural instincts and the phony gods and superstitions men invent to explain or try to control nature. The Law is a second slavery; it frees us from the slavery to the elements by discipline. It is not freedom, but it prepares us for freedom. This ties into Part 1.
Part 3 is a break in Paul's long discourse about slavery, with a number of short tangential teachings. It ends with Paul’s wish that he was physically with the listeners so that he could understand their problems and thus be better able to respond.
Part 4, which we begin today, is another discourse on slavery, comparing Abraham’s two sons: Ishmael, born of a slave woman (Hagar), and Isaac, born of a free woman (Sarah). But the introductory sentence — “Those of you who think you want to be subject to the Law, listen to what the Law itself says” — is a statement, in and of itself, with a very powerful meaning.
reading the Bible
It is almost ironical. Do, in your mind, what Paul suggests by this sentence that the Galatians do: Read the Law of Moses and consider whether you want to live by it. (Here is a random chapter from Leviticus.) Who in their right mind would want to live like an Orthodox Jew in 1000 B.C.?
Living under the old covenant, the Law of Moses, requires perfect adherence to a horrendously burdensome and complex body of laws in order to become righteous before God, and even worse, perfect adherence is impossible. Thus, Paul tells them, “if you think you want to be subject to the Law of Moses, read what it says!”
Just in case a listener doesn't get the message, though, Paul will now explain it another way. To illustrate what he means by “listen to what the Law says,” Paul will spend the rest of the chapter creating an allegory, using Hagar as a symbol of “slavery under the Law” and Sarah as an example of “freedom by faith.”
Meditation : Prayer : May God the Father bless us; may Christ take care of us; the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life. The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul, both now and for ever, to the ages of ages.......Amen |
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