Scripture: Galatians 4:6-12
And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted. Friends, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong.
Thought for the Day: In light of the Nelson Mandela’s health issues, I was reminded of these words he spoke: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” As I read both Paul and Mandela, I hear a common vision of what it means to be free. Those who are free don’t choose to enslave themselves or others, even though the choosing to do so might appear be an expression of freedom. Those who have tasted freedom, choose to live the liberated life which makes a way for others to experience freedom.
Prayer: In those places of my life where I remain in bondage, I ask – no I plead – for your assistance, O Lord. For in living in bondage, I am most certainly dragging others into bondage. Allow your loving spirit of liberation to wash over me as it did in the waters of baptism where I claimed my true identity as a member of your family, O God. Amen.
PARENTS – Don’t Forget
