Send away the slave

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Jeffrey Smith November 10, 2015 - Filed in Devotional - #Devotional  #Christian Devotional  #  #  #  #  - 1,579 views

  Galatians 4:28-31- Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son. Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

  A promise is only as good as the one making it. The author of our promise is our Father in heaven, not our earthly Dad. In the world, we have broken promises all the time. Someone doesn't fulfill what they promise, and we have total disappointment. Over time we find the word promise to be suspect based on our experiences. In the Spirit we know with absolute certainty that any promise God makes is trustworthy. He fulfilled every promise ever given. All 1260 promises in the bible come to fruition in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. What we must do as children is to receive the promises in our hearts and rely on them as the truth. The proof is in Jesus Christ, and God cannot lie, (Numbers 23:19) says: God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
  In the scripture God put on my heart, we see that those born in the "ordinary way" are born out of the Hagar, and Hagar represents Mount Sinai (Galatians 4:25) and what Mount Sinai represents is the law. Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the law. Isaac was born out of a promise from God ( Genesis 17:4,5), and so that was ordained through the Spirit. When Isaac was born, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away. Ishmael was born from a slave and not through the promise. You see, Ishmael was a surrogate child. While it may be difficult to understand sending away a child, the scripture is pointing out that this is figurative (Galatians 4:24). Ishmael represents the Law something that was based on what we can do. This is what happens when we try and take things into our own hands. Ishmael was born only because Abraham and Sarah were growing impatient and older in age.
  So just like Ismael, when Jesus came, we no longer need the law which is in itself a surrogate ( Galatians 3:24), and we must send it away. Through faith we must be willing to send away our self-righteousness for the promise that was fulfilled at the cross. The law seeks to persecute the Spirit, and while it may seem logical in the world, the law no longer is necessary for those of us who are born out of this promise. We have the inheritance under the Spirit, not the law. Receive the promise in your heart today, and send away all that holds you back from the amazing blessing that God has in store for you.