Keep Living in Freedom through Christ

Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

8:05 am

Good morning! Today I am in Galatians 4:8-20. Paul tells the Gentiles that before they knew God, they were slaves to the so called god's that did not exist. And now that they know God, he asks them why they want to go back and become slaves again to the weak and useless spiritual principles of the world? Asking them why they are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days, months, seasons, or years. He tells them that he fears for them, and feels that all his hard work with them was for nothing. He pleads for them to live as he does in freedom from these things, for he has become like them, free from those laws. He tells them that when he was with them before, when he first preached to them, they did not mistreat him, And even cared for him while he was sick, when they could have rejected him. They cared for him as if he was an angel from God or even Jesus Himself. He asks them where that same joyful and grateful spirit is, that they had then? Now he has become their enemy because he is telling them the truth. He tells them that those false teachers are eager to win their favor, but their intentions are not good. The false teachers are trying to shut them off from him so that they will pay attention only to them. He tells them that if someone is eager to do something good for them, that is all right, but they should do it all the time not just when he is with them. He tells them that he is going through labor pains for them again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in their lives. He tells them that he wishes he could change his tone with them, but because of the distance between them he doesn't know how else to help them.

When we turn to Christ and accept Him into our lives, He breaks the chains of bondage off of us. Those old ways of trying to keep all the rules of the world and trying to work hard, trying to please everyone, trying to build ourselves up, and be better. Through Jesus, all those things that make us feel like we are not good enough or we are not doing enough, are broken off of us. Because God accepts us and loves us right where we are at and who we are. We don't have to work to try to please Him, we just have to love Him and allow Him to be a part of our lives. Paul had taught the Galatians this on his first trip to visit them, and they accepted his message with joy. But false teachers went there after him, and started changing their minds on everything that Paul taught. And instead of agreeing with what Paul had taught, the false teachers were telling them they had to obey all the Jewish laws and regulations in order to be a child of God. So Paul was reminding them of the joy they felt when they accepted the message he gave them when he was first there. How they were eager and grateful to accept it. God's message does that for us. The Good News of Jesus Christ brings us joy and gratefulness, not condemnation and judgment. It sets us free to be who God created us to be, instead of being what the world wants us to be.

The false teachers wanted to shut them off from Paul and the Good News. False teachers today want to do the same thing. False teachers are often very respectable and persuasive, but they are deceitful. They tell us what we want to hear to make us feel good, and make us want to join them, but they lie to us. They want to pull us away from the truth of Jesus Christ. And they will do whatever they can to do that. Make sure whoever you listen to is speaking the truth by putting what they are saying up to God's Word. If what they are saying is not what God's Word says, stop listening to them. If you ever get to the point that you are feeling guilty or inadequate, check your focus. God does not want you to feel like that. God wants you to know that He loves you, and we don't have to be perfect. He just wants to be apart of your life. He wants a relationship with you. When we start focusing more on this world and the expectations of this world, then we have taken our focus off God. God has more for you than this world could ever offer. In Him is where we find our peace, joy, and content. This world cannot give those things to us, only He can. Seek Him, and allow Him to help you. Don't allow this world to deceive you, keep your focus on God. There is freedom in Him alone.