“…the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all;” – Gal. 4:1 KJV
You can download this document by clicking the link above
The scripture today is part of the letter of Paul to the Galatians. He was surprised that after they had been introduced to Christ and Ihad enjoyed the freedom and the gains of worshipping God through Jesus Christ, they could still go ahead and believe some people who crept into their lives to convince them that they cannot be considered complete believers and followers of Christ unless they make themselves available for circumcision with some of them already accepting this new teaching. This information got to Paul and He had to address it in his letter to the church in Galatia.
In his attempt to let them realise their folly in accepting to be circumcised, he described those that accepted such doctrine as fools (Gal. 3:1) and babies (Gal. 4:1). He emphasised that they have to be matured sufficiently to be able to enjoy the benefit of being heirs to a great kingdom, a position they got into by Grace when they accepted Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour – Rom. 8:15-17.
He went further to list the limitations that they just introduced into their Christian life by accepting this new doctrine which included the following:
1. Though they may be heirs to the kingdom of God, they will not be able to exercise such rights should they continue to operate as children because children are not allowed to exercise rights over their inheritance until they are deemed to be matured by their father.
2. They may be heirs to a huge inheritance but will live a life similar to that of servants as they cannot and do not exercise any rights to their inheritance even though they are princes of that kingdom.
The implication is that such children will never be able to live the life they desire and are capable of but the life imposed on them by others. Although they are truly heirs to an inheritance and have lots of resources in their name, they cannot access them at will because of their level of maturity.
Many Christians are in such situation today. It may not be that they are accepting to be circumcised but they are accepting teachings that compromise their position in Christendom and thus living a life that is not worthy of princes and princesses of a great kingdom. Because of low self esteem that they have developed resulting from doctrines and comments that they have been constantly exposed to, they are not able to enjoy the full advantage of being followers of Jesus Christ. Some have being made to feel so low about themselves that they believe they are not sufficiently positioned to be noticed by God or allowed to come near the throne of Grace (Eph. 2:13; Heb. 4:16) and so will always need an intermediary aside from Jesus Christ since there is no way God will ever listen to their prayers. Instead of their self conviction of sin and repentance bringing them into Grace, they have allowed it to take them farther away from it. Their self esteem is so diminished that they find themselves living the life of ordinary slaves. They forget completely that God is very much interested in them in that state (Is. 1:18; Rom. 5:8) and that the activity on the cross was because of them (1Tim. 1:15). Like Adam in the garden of Eden, they are hiding away from God (Gen. 3:10) and not realising that He is the only one that can cover the shame that their transgression brought on them – Gen. 3:21. Like the prodigal son, they are so consumed with their failure that they cannot see the merciful God, as they have been made to believe that God detests them. It is true though that God detests sin but it is also a fact that God loves the sinner. All they need to know is that like the father of the prodigal son, God is waiting in expectation of their return (Lk. 15:11-32) which is for them to confess their sins and plead for forgiveness – 1Jn. 1:9.
You need to get out of that self imposed mental state of being a child that has brought all these discomfort to your life, rediscover yourself and become aware of your rights as heir to a great kingdom. No matter your sin, God is still interested in you. No matter what anyone may say to you, you are still very special to Him – Rom. 5:8. He never stopped thinking about you even in that your fallen state and all he expects of you is to return home (to him) and take your position as a son. It is all about the choice you make now.
That position of discomfort that you find yourself is not part of His plan for your life. It is there because you are still carrying the mentality of a baby in Christ. Change your mental state today and you will successfully change the direction of your life. Stop drinking milk and start chewing meat – 1Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12. Your stress situation today may be due to you not realising that you are positioned to authorise and change your situation. Pray to God like a son would talk to his father and not in fear like a servant would demand of his master (Rom. 8:15) and expect a positive change of that your situation. You will not be able to enjoy this Grace if you remain in that your feeling of guilt. Be matured in him today and enjoy the freedom that the cross brought to you.
Grow up today and get yourself out of that situation so that oppression and several other discomforts can leave your life and you can begin to live the life of an heir to a great kingdom.
