Children of promise
by Pastor Mark Lieschke
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise (Galatians 4:28).
Read Galatians 4:21–31
If the only way we could have a good relationship with God was by achieving or accomplishing certain things, we’d never be able to be completely comfortable about his return at the end of this world, our having eternal life with him, or even being in any kind of positive relationship with him now.
Imagine if God looked at us and said, ‘If you do this for me, then I’ll respond in a certain way or reward you or love you in return’. If God acted like that, we could never be sure about whether we could be blessed, forgiven or loved by him.
We’d never know if we’d done enough for him. We could be worried about whether we’d be living up to his expectations. We’d have no idea about how much we ought to do to get him to respond to our actions.
But he isn’t like that at all. He’s the exact opposite. He says, ‘Because you have sinned, messed things up and need help, I will come to you’.
We don’t have to do anything first. God comes to us, makes us his own, forgives us, picks us up, loves us, makes his promises, and gives us all we need to respond to him.
Knowing this, believing we’re in that kind of relationship, is what we need to serve God with the right motivation so that we can look forward to Jesus’ return without any reservations or fear.
Knowing and believing this motivates us to look for opportunities to serve others. We serve, then, not because we have to but because we want to. We want to show our gratitude to God for what he’s given to us and done for us.
Faithful Lord, thank you for taking the initiative and making us your own. Thank you that because of your life, death and resurrection for us, we can be confident we will spend eternity with you. Please give us what we need now so that we can show our gratitude for your great gifts. Amen.
Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. He served in parishes in Adelaide, Palmerston North and Marton (New Zealand), and Wagga Wagga (school and congregation), before being elected as bishop of the NSW District of the LCANZ. He and Meredith have four children (two live in Canada) and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and resting.
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
