DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2007
GALATIANS 4:1-7

WHAT WILL YOU INHERIT?

1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:1-7 (NKJV)

As I have done in the past I have chosen to do a series of Devotions by going verse by verse through a Book of the Bible. This time I have chosen the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians. The first Devotion, for Chapter 1, verses 6 - 10, was written earlier and can be found by going to the Devotion Archives. Each following devotion will remain on this page for approximately 6 days before it will be transferred to the Archives. It is my prayer that these devotions will assist you in your Bible Study and in your growth in Faith and in the Love of Jesus. Here then is the eleventh in this series of Devotions.

St. Paul continues his discussion in an attempt to show the Galatian Christians the difference between their lives before Christ and the change that is their Blessing because He Lived and Died on the Cross for them.

The wonderful thing about the teachings of St. Paul is that he uses terms, events and customs that the people are very familiar with. Sometimes these are hard to understand in the day in which we live. Fortunately, the teaching he uses here is one that can still be used and understood today. In fact, most parents not only understand it, but have been involved in using it in their lives.

Because parents realize that life on earth can cease for anyone, at any time, they take steps to assure that whatever financial resources they have are protected to provide for their children. When they make out their Last Will and Testament, they make provisions that in the case of their death, their children are the documented and mentioned legal heirs. In most cases, the children cannot receive the money until reaching a certain age and sometimes even meeting additional restrictions. In other words, the money is there but they can’t touch it until the requirements of the Will are met. Often there is also a guardian named who can and does use funds for the benefit of the child The heirs are the owners of all this promised money, but they can’t touch it until the requirements are met.

The Jewish people, called the covenant people in our text, are heirs to a promise of a Savior to free them from the burdens of sin. The Covenant, the agreement between God and the Jewish people, was that when the Messiah came, they would be free and no longer servants of the law. That was hard for these people who held fast to the Law as their guide to God. It is still hard to convince the Jewish people of today that Salvation is not promised through a coming Messiah. Instead Salvation has come, to those who believe, because the promised Messiah has been here, done that, gone Home to His Father, and will return again.

We are not heirs, captives as servants living under the burden of the law waiting to be free. We are adopted sons and daughters of God, filled with the Spirit of His Son, Blessed by the Father, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We do not live in bondage to sin but WE LIVE as children of God with the power to rise above our sins and the temptations of Satan as he seeks to pull us away from God.

WHAT WILL YOU INHERIT? As you go through life, you will stumble and start to fall many times each day. There will be two hands reaching out for you to grasp. One hand will be from Satan. He will be saying, come take my hand and he will give you every argument he can to convince you that you will have more exciting times with him. The other Hand will be God’s as He says come take my Hand and I will give you Eternal Love.

You can do as you wish. You can take Satan's Hand, seek to find peace in your own good works and the excitement of the day. That will lead you to the excitement of Eternal Death and I don’t think you would enjoy inheriting that.

I hope you will join me and reach out with me to take God’s Hand and rejoice in living in the peace of God’s Love in Eternal Life.

WE PRAY: HEAVENLY FATHER, It is so much easier to live by the law than it is to live on faith. We can prove what we have done according to the law by writing a journal entry for each day. Lord, don’t let us fall when Satan tempts us in this way. We pray that you would help us remember that when we do something in faith, that is all that you ask us to do. Lord, take my simple efforts of faith and use them for your Glory. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Do you have a problem in your life? Have you read all the articles that have been written on the subject? Have you tried everything but just can’t free yourself? HAVE YOU TRIED GOD?