Today's Passage - Galatians 4:27-31

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Galatians 4:27-31     ...At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.     There is something that will keep showing up in your spiritual growth process. It is that those born according to the flesh will often persecute those born by the power of the Spirit. The moment you commit yourself to follow God and walk in his path of renewal, you will always meet resistance, and there will always be people who will make fun of you, hinder you, criticize and judge you. When I encounter these situations, I see them as small things, because in the Bible the Lord has already warned us these things will happen. When we come to the Lord, not only do we need to trust and obey Jesus Christ, but we also need to suffer for Christ. We not only need to suffer for our own sins, but also for the work of God in our life. And other people may not understand that we will also suffer.    What should we do when we face these circumstances? First, we need to examine ourselves to discern whether we are following God himself or whether we are following some kind of experiences. Especially in the Charismatic Movement, there are many people who pursue experiences more than they pursue God. We need to examine ourselves, whether we are truly following God or whether we are only pursuing our own self-satisfaction. If we are only pursuing our own self-satisfaction, it is very easy to fall into fleshly conflicts. If we are following God, we will be patient and wait on God.     Second, we need to pray for our current circumstance. When we are facing persecutions, there's nothing we really can do. We need to believe only God can bring about the change. Sometimes we depend on our own power to think of a solution to solve the problem. But man's method may not be God's method. We need to pray for the current circumstance. Maybe you and I are standing firm in the truth and are doing the right thing. But the timing depends on God. We need to respect the timing of God's work. Like the farmer waiting for the crops to grow, he needs to wait patiently in order for the crops to mature and bear fruit.     Third, as much as possible we should live in peace because this is God's will. In the future we will see our brothers and sisters in heaven. Let us keep a patient heart to live in peace as much as possible. God will bring about justice for us. He will reveal his way and his will. May the Lord help us to stand firm in the faith. As we follow God, let us not be moved by the external things in our life.                                                                           Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you for suffering for me and going on the way of the cross. You also told me that I will be persecuted on earth. May you help me, give me a humble and moldable heart, and fulfill your work in my life. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!