Galatians 4:3-7 | Formerly Enslaved
So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.
-Galatians 4:3-7 BSB
-Galatians 4:3-7 BSB
Living in the United States of America, we hear a lot about freedom. We have amazing laws that protect God-given rights. We have freedom to speak, freedom of religion, and a whole list of other freedoms that we have the opportunity to delight in and participate in. As Americans, we hold high that position of freedom that we are given. Rightfully so. It then comes a shock to many to realize that despite the freedoms they have, they have been enslaved to an unruly master.
For those of us in the faith, we have become well acquainted with these former masters that have competed and contended with us. The flesh is one that recurrently presses thorns and thistles into our walks. The principles of this world compete for attention and devotion. The enemy himself seeks to drive wedges in any area he can and fires fiery darts liberally at every chink in our armor that he can find. We have come to confess and recognize the depravity of the state we were in. Praise be to God for the freedom He has given to us! We participate in the truth that we are no longer slaves as we once were! The freedom is a topic we will discuss more tomorrow. Today, however, I want us to reflect on this former bondage.
I recently had a conversation with a dear friend about sentimentality. Admittedly, I am not a very sentimental person myself. I used to be however. In our discussion, they shared how sentimentality often overlooks the problems of the past. It was an astute observation. It was one that Israel often struggled with.
And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”
-Exodus 16:2-3 BSB
Israel had just come out of Egypt. They witnessed incredible miracles of the Lord. They witnessed the plagues and were preserved from them. They experienced the Passover when the angel of death eliminated the firstborn sons of any who did not paint their doorways with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. They witnessed the splitting of the Red Sea and even crossed over on dry ground and witnessed the Lord eliminate their enemies by crashing the sea on those who pursued. They even had the bitter waters of Marah made sweet before them. As hunger came, however, they looked back upon Egypt and seem to forget how oppressive that slave master was to them.
O how often we can fall for the same trap! We may be coming out of an amazing season of faithfulness of the Lord and are suddenly stricken by trials. As the old saying goes, "Old habits die hard." We run back to the old things simply looking at the benefits they provided and overlooking the enslavement we were in. As I roll my eyes at Israel's ridiculous actions, I myself am reminded of my many own failings in the same things. The practice I have adopted is to remind myself of the oppression I once was in. I encourage you to do the same.
Do you remember what it was like before you found Christ? How did your old slave master rule over you?
For those of us in the faith, we have become well acquainted with these former masters that have competed and contended with us. The flesh is one that recurrently presses thorns and thistles into our walks. The principles of this world compete for attention and devotion. The enemy himself seeks to drive wedges in any area he can and fires fiery darts liberally at every chink in our armor that he can find. We have come to confess and recognize the depravity of the state we were in. Praise be to God for the freedom He has given to us! We participate in the truth that we are no longer slaves as we once were! The freedom is a topic we will discuss more tomorrow. Today, however, I want us to reflect on this former bondage.
I recently had a conversation with a dear friend about sentimentality. Admittedly, I am not a very sentimental person myself. I used to be however. In our discussion, they shared how sentimentality often overlooks the problems of the past. It was an astute observation. It was one that Israel often struggled with.
And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”
-Exodus 16:2-3 BSB
Israel had just come out of Egypt. They witnessed incredible miracles of the Lord. They witnessed the plagues and were preserved from them. They experienced the Passover when the angel of death eliminated the firstborn sons of any who did not paint their doorways with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. They witnessed the splitting of the Red Sea and even crossed over on dry ground and witnessed the Lord eliminate their enemies by crashing the sea on those who pursued. They even had the bitter waters of Marah made sweet before them. As hunger came, however, they looked back upon Egypt and seem to forget how oppressive that slave master was to them.
O how often we can fall for the same trap! We may be coming out of an amazing season of faithfulness of the Lord and are suddenly stricken by trials. As the old saying goes, "Old habits die hard." We run back to the old things simply looking at the benefits they provided and overlooking the enslavement we were in. As I roll my eyes at Israel's ridiculous actions, I myself am reminded of my many own failings in the same things. The practice I have adopted is to remind myself of the oppression I once was in. I encourage you to do the same.
Do you remember what it was like before you found Christ? How did your old slave master rule over you?
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John 14:22-31 | What's the lesson for me today?John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?John 14:22-31 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:1-11John 15:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:1-11 | What's the connection?John 15:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:12-27John 15:12-27 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:12-27 | What's the connection?John 15:12-27 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:12-27 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:12-27 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:12-27 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:1-15John 16:1-15 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:1-15 | What's the connection?John 16:1-15 | What’s a lesson for the original audience?John 16:1-15 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:1-15 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:1-15 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:16-33 | What's the connection?John 16:16-33 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 16:16-33 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:16-33 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:16-33 | Prayer Prompts
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Passage of the Week: John 17John 17 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 17 | What's the connection?John 17 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 17 | What's the lesson for me today?John 17 | What am I going to do about it?John 17 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:1-11John 18:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:1-11 | What's the connection?John 18:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:12-40John 18:12-40 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:12-40 | What's the connection?John 18:12-40 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:12-40 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:12-40 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:12-40 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 19John 19 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 19 | What's the connection?John 19 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 19 | What's the lesson for me today?John 19 | What am I going to do about it?John 19 | Prayer Prompts
March
Passage of the Week: John 20John 20 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 20 | What's the connection?John 20 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 20 | What's the lesson for me today?John 20 | What am I going to do about it?John 20 | Prayer PromptsJohn 21 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 21John 21 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 21 | What's the connection?John 21 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 21 | What's the lesson for me today?John 21 | What am I going to do about it?Passage of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-4Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What is a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 1:5-14Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:5-14 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:1-4Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the connection?
April
Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 2:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:5-9Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the connection?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What am I going to do about it?
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