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And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb 11:6 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
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. Friday, February 13, 2026
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :We Are No Longer Slaves (Galatians #41) Bible Verse: Galatians 4:1-7 (BSB) "What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything. 2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the date set by his father. 3 So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God. DP Parallel Bible (3-Column) - Galatians 4" Message:
The first verses of Galatians 4 focus on two dichotomies: childhood vs. adulthood, and slavery vs. freedom. These are combined into the primary idea, that children are always akin to slaves, no matter how high their rank in society, because a lot of people boss them around. (And, in fact, children of kings and queens have notoriously harsh childhoods.)
So, although the Hebrews were beloved of God, they were not ready for the freedom of God’s promise. Under God’s plan, to bring the forgiveness of Christ into the world before it fully understood why it required forgiveness, would have been premature. Humanity in general, and the Hebrews in particular, were not ready for a fully intimate personal relationship with God, because they did not understand His will; they did not understand what was and was not sinful, and consequently, they could not grasp their own inability to free themselves from sin.
They did not have, in other words, sufficient moral and spiritual development to be given their inheritance. The difficulty of the task of spiritual development is reflected in the length and contents of the Old Testament histories. Time and time again, the Hebrews would simply return to “square one.” They relapse into worshipping Ba’al or Asherah, or some other pagan deity. It took thousands and thousands of years of slow development.
Born Again|modern woman walking through parted Red Sea
There is a great lesson in this for modern Christians. All of us, to some degree, fail to experience the real freedom and joy of our salvation, because we live as slaves. On the day we are born, we become slaves to nature, in two senses. We must deal with the physical world, of course. And we must deal with our natural instincts, which so often tempt us to sin.
Secondly, most of us are slaves to the Law of Moses. Few people understand hypocrisy in this sense, but when we hate somebody who has done some evil, or when we pride ourselves on our good behavior — for that matter, even when we feel shame about our sin — we become the slaves of seeking righteousness through morality, the modern-day successor to the Law.
It is as if we have been given our freedom as a gift, but then give it back, because we want to go out an earn it for ourselves. “Brothers and sisters,” Paul tells us, “you are servants no longer; you are grown sons and daughters, the rightful heirs of God through Jesus Christ.” We must know our sin; and we must strive to follow God’s commandments; but not to be loved by Him, but rather, to show our love for Him. We do not need to earn God’s love; we need to accept it. And as He forgives us, so we must forgive ourselves, and others.
So this is part of our inheritance: Freedom from guilt and shame. When we talk about “joy”, it includes becoming free of these painful thoughts and emotions.
Meditation : Prayer : Lord, support me all the day long of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and my work is done. Then, of Thy mercy, grant me a safe lodging, and a holy rest and a peace at last through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. |
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