"21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.
23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.
25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
27 For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband."
28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are "CHILDREN OF PROMISE".
29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.
30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman."
31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman."
Something (or someONE) was telling me today that I needed to read in Galatians. I tried reading in other chapters in the Bible, but nothing seemed to be grasping me. Finally, I gave in and went to Galatians and began reading. Nothing was attracting me UNTIL I GOT TO CHAPTER FOUR! When I read the above scripture I knew what GOD was saying to me.
At times, I want to be like Sarah in Genesis 16-17. GOD had promised Abram (later named Abraham) that he would father a great nation WITH SARAI (later named Sarah)! But in Genesis 16:2 Sarai told Abram that GOD had prevented her from having children so he needed to have a child with Hagar (not later named). Hagar was a slave, but Sarai was Abram's wife. Abram and Sarai had their name changed BY GOD to Abraham and Sarah and the The Promise was fulfilled with the birth of Isaac IN GOD'S TIMING!
The reason I say I am like Sarah is that I get so frustrated waiting on The Promise that I want to make things happen on my own. But an illegitimate blessing will not bring joy! An illegitimate blessing will not bring peace! The Promise came through GOD using Sarah, a woman who everyone THOUGHT was too old to have children. But JESUS said "with GOD, all things are possible"!
Paul wrote in Galatians 4:28 that we are "CHILDREN OF PROMISE". We are not "CHILDREN OF PROMISE" because of who we were physically born to, rather WHO we were SPIRITUALLY born-again through! From time to time I have to be reminded that GOD's timing is different than my timing. The illegitimate blessing is not something I want to experience! Waiting for GOD's timing will result in the "CHILDREN OF PROMISE"! Psalms 27:14 "WAIT FOR THE LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; WAIT FOR THE LORD"!
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