DCLM Daily Manna Thursday 14 December 2023
TOPIC: Unwise Decision
TEXT: GALATIANS 4:1-11
4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
KEY VERSE
“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” (Galatians 4:9).
DCLM Daily Manna Thursday 14 December 2023 MESSAGE
The words of Eleanor Roosevelt ring true: “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility”.
The Galatian believers were an example of a church that took series of wrong decisions. In our text, Apostle Paul asked them why they chose to return to the weak and beggarly elements of their sinful past, after they had been saved. Paul concluded by re-emphasising the beauty of the truth of the gospel, which they heard and believed, and charged them to return to it. As a loving father, he expressed his fears over their spiritual wellbeing, because of their gullibility and simplicity.
READ DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 12 December 2023 – Ignorant Sinners
Like the Galatians, many people are marked out by short-term self-indulgence, which makes them think less of long-term priorities and goals. No wonder Paul called them ‘foolish Galatians’ (Galatians 3:1) for their propensity to believe false teachers and their fickleness and vulnerability. These false teachers, perhaps, made use of some attractive things to ensnare these Galatian believers back to their old lives, and damn their souls.
The point being made in Paul’s admonition is that we must make right choices concerning our faith, stand firm in the truth we have received and resist every allurement to go back to past sinful life. We should not just counsel the new converts brought into the Kingdom, but also contend against false doctrines they are exposed to. Like good mothers, we should feed them with good and nourishing teachings of the full-orbed truths so they will not desire the unsafe roadside ‘food’ being peddled by satanic ‘vendors’. While doing this, we should be watchful and prayerful both for them and over our lives.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Watch over your soul and the flock.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MICAH 5 – 7
