Daily Devotional Friday 23rd October 2020
by William MoodyGalatians 4:8–20
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
12 Brothers,1 I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?2 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
Footnotes
[1] 4:12
Or Brothers and sisters; also verses 28, 31
[2] 4:16Or by dealing truthfully with you (ESV)
Paul is saddened because these believers are not living with the freedom as sons of God but rather living like slaves with their primary focus on rules (v8-11). They are not living in the maturity of faith or in the freedom Christ has died to bring.
Are you living as a Christian in joy because of your relationship to Christ or are you living as a slave always fearful of God striking you down or casting you away? Pray for your relationship to grow and mature in love.
Paul is sad here as he thinks of the past devotion of these believers to Paul which has now changed dramatically (v12-16). False teachers have damaged not only their relationship with God but their relationship with Paul. False teachers today are real, they can be very subtle in creating unease in people’s relationships with their church and their church teachers and leaders.
Paul is in great pain, like a mother in child birth, longing for them not to be taken in by the flattery of these false teachers (v17-20). We need to watch and take time to pray for those who have grown distant in our fellowship and maybe even have left because of lies shared by the devil and other people.
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