Galatians 4:31

New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

For meditation

Many of the problems Christians face today result from their love for the delicacies of their former life. Many have messed themselves this way and are trapped in life’s crucibles. Like the Israelites in the period of the judges, many Christians are caught in the cycle of sin, suffering, repentance, forgiveness, and back to sin. However, “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free,” and we should live as such (5:1). Our ears should dull to the voice of the enemy and come alive to the voice of our Deliverer and Master, Jesus Christ, the Eternal King.

1. Do you realize that regardless of how well an animal adjusts to the environment of a zoo, it is still confined and restrained in an unnatural habitat?
2. Uncomfortable as it may feel at first, have you noticed how quickly it blends into its natural environment when released into it? Do you see such liberated animals willingly come back to live in the zoo, except in movies?
3. Do you think a liberated animal will respond to the voice and command of the zoo keeper after some time?
4. Why is it then that, having been set free from slavery to sin and brought into the kingdom of righteousness (Rm. 6:18), many Christians so easily run back to the dominion of sin – their former slave master?
5. Now, do you understand Paul’s concern for the Galatians who were “turning back to those weak and miserable forces … to be enslaved by them all over again” (Gal. 4:9)?

I pray it is not the case for you!

Rather, recognize that you are not a child “of the slave woman, but of the free woman,” and enjoy your freedom in Christ (Gal. 4:31).

So: May you live as a free person in Christ Jesus and “not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;  [but] live as God’s slaves” (1 Peter 2:16); and may the joyful expression of your freedom in Christ overflow to lift others up from their slimy pits.

Shalom