Galatians 4:1-7
1I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Related Text:
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Galatians 6:8-9
1 Timothy 2:3-6
1 Peter 5:5-6
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“I’ve Got All the Time in the World, I’ve Got a Time Machine”
Time is a precious commodity today. The more stuff we try to pack into each day, the more precious time becomes. You might say that we are addicted to time, or at least addicted to filling it up with stuff. No matter what we try to do, no matter what our level of activity involvement or responsibility is, we all have the same amount of time each day. 24 hours, and God is in control or every minute.
He began the world in His timing. As we read in Galatians 4:4-5, He sent Jesus to the earth in His timing. And He will return to this world once again in His timing. Because God is God, He planned out exactly the perfect time to send His son Jesus to this world as the atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we may receive salvation and become children of God and heirs to His Kingdom.
This section in Galatians that we read today is real meaty. In a few verses, it is packed with many things we could spend time on. But I would like us to focus on God’s perfect timing. He is in control and He knows what He is doing. His plans for our lives are better than plans we could come up with. But we still get discouraged when things don’t go our way, or when prayers aren’t answered in the way we asked for, if at all. No matter what circumstances surround us daily, we have the choice to either allow ourselves to be overcome by them, or to respond with the knowledge and wisdom that God knows what’s going on, that He is with us, and that He is in control. Remember that Jesus waited and let Lazarus die “for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Is living by faith and not by sight just a cliche to you? Is it a nice idea but not a reality in your life? Did you even know it’s a verse from the Bible, and not just a saying? It’s found in 2 Corinthians 5:7. I pray and hope and ask God for the strength to be able to trust in Him when things don’t go my way, when they don’t go how I would have planned them, or when they really get terrible.
Show God how important He is to you by taking some of your precious time today and spend it with Him. Ask God to guide you on how to use your time today. Ask for the strength to trust Him without crumbling under the pressure of the circumstances.
