Heralds Digest

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world". (Galatians 6:14 NKJV) The hustle for appreciation in the standard of living, accumulation of wealth and promotion from any position in life is always a personal bustle whenever self-glory is at stake. Rather than getting involved in personal struggle for recognition, Apostle Paul would glory in the readiness of self to gladly bear the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Could anything be more appropriate for any mortal to be counted to suffer for the course of righteousness? God is glorified when His likeness is appreciated within us.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart". (Galatians 6:9 NKJV) Fair compensation discourages bad services farther than encourages good services. Anyone who has been converted into good services needs little motivation from humans. Good reward comes from the God of heaven, who makes nothing other than good. The search of reward from elsewhere naturally discourages commitment to good services. For those who cannot be distracted, good reward has a unique season for maximum compensation.

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:25-26 NKJV) Living in the Spirit does not necessarily mean being dead to fleshly demands. Only a comatose body is free from any demand for self gratification. Without a consistent spiritual exercise, as admonished by Apostle Paul, even a spirit-filled individual will protest the denial of deserved dignity and respect. We would fare well with living in the Spirit, when we operate within our comfort zone. A daily walk through hostility requires extra sensitivity to Spirit-leading for sustenance of every godly virtue.

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love". (Galatians 5:6 NKJV) Being delivered from the rule of dos and dons , everyone in Christ Jesus is expected to therefrom operate under the frame of trust and love. A completely different mental picture of obedience is captured by those who walk in love, compared to those who are governed by the law. Obedience through a sincere love relationship between the Saviour and His saints is powered by faith; whereas, obedience through the law is powered by moral force that cannot be consistently sustained. Sincerely, we start living when faith comes alive.

"Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”" (Galatians 4:30 NKJV) Unless where trust becomes sacred, all human relationships within home and work institutions can only function with certain regard to some form of bond. Even after Hagai became the mother of Abraham's son, she wasn't free from the bond as Sarah's maid. Relationships under a bond environment is based on give and take; whereas God respects only love-based relationships. Just as God freely gave us His Son because of love, we can only trust and obey Him because of love. However, unlike in an atmosphere of free and pure love, trust is a treacherous phenomenon in every bond relationship.

"But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:9 NKJV) In most religious climes, everyone is godly; or rather, everyone claims the knowledge of God. Until human knowledge of God equals God's knowledge of man, religion remains a mental exercise with inconsequential moral transformation. In which case, fellowship in religious houses remains a social gathering of people with merely recognized denominational dogma. As long as members are willing to abide by these dogmas, recognition of their relevance is guaranteed. Unfortunately, fellowship with man does not guarantee the righteousness of God. The heart must thrive more to retain recognition by God than to attain membership of human social gatherings.

"And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise". (Galatians 3:29 NKJV) It is obviously easier for anyone to profess self-possession of Christ rather than to confess Christ's possession of self. However, either of self-possession of Christ or Christ possession of self needs to be the same. The expected uniformity is particularly expedient in order to qualify for sharing the promises meant for those who are redeemed by the Christ's sacrifice and His heavenly inheritances. What a privilege bought by the atoning blood, and brought by faith - which implies that we can claim the divine inheritance of Abraham's promise, without being one of his biological seeds.