Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise. (Galatians 4:21-23)
The law says you are born into slavery—to live by rules that will grant you favor with God. But God showed us we’re incapable of keeping laws—we need a savior.
Abraham could’ve left Sarah because she hadn’t given him a son. A male child was a status symbol that showed your family line was worth continuing. But, he loved Sarah. Finally, God promised them a son. Ten years after God gave them the promise, Sarah was still barren, she decided Abraham should sleep with her hand-maiden, Hagar. The resulting son, Ishmael, was born a slave because his mother was a slave. Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac, was born into freedom.
God intervened with Isaac’s miraculous birth because his parents were 90 and 100 years old. Human intervention orchestrated Ishmael’s birth.
So Paul asks the Galatians and us, “Do you want to be a slave like Hagar and Ishmael, spending your life keeping laws? Or do you want to be free through adoption into Abraham’s family, keeping only the law of love? Love God, yourself, and others.
When you believe in God’s son, you’re adopted into Abraham’s family, and you shouldn’t follow the world’s rules. God sees you as worthy when people don’t.
Father God, I praise you for giving me freedom through Jesus. Help me give and receive blessings, not rules. In Jesus’ n
If there are rules, we break them. That is why God gave us Jesus who will save us from our sins. Jesus shows us mercy and gives us His grace. As God’s children, we are all worthy.
Thank you Heavenly Father for all of your blessings. Praying for you and your family and healthy babies.
I thank God for mercy and for my healthy granddaughter, Keira Joelle, born March 3, 2023. I thank you and everyone who has prayed for her!