The Key to Living is not found anywhere else but in you aligning yourself up with what God has said and what God has done.
The Key to Living is to return to our calling towards His glory so that people see Christ in us. This is where we must continually be. This the call above all callings. This calling is not to a place, people or platform but to Him and His presence in our lives. To decrease so that He will increase. To let His brightness and majesty be seen in our lives. It is not about me but about others seeing Him in me. It is not about my achievement but His.
“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. 30 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.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4 v 29-31)
Ishmael will always persecute the Isaac’s. Those who pursue God’s approval through obedience will always oppress those who don’t and accept salvation by grace alone. Paul now answers his rhetorical question of v21. The answer is, ‘we are free so don’t go back to the Torah’. Until Isaac, the son of the promise, was born Sarah could live with Ishmael in the same house. But with the arrival of Isaac, Ishmael had to go. In the same way we must now get rid of all the rule-keeping as the means to approach God and have His approval. That is the Key to Living.
When you allow voices either those from within you or even those from ‘Christians’ to belittle you because you haven’t made the standard you are allowing Ishmael to mock you. When your mistakes and failures are too much for some that you are ostracised from their approval or maybe that person in the mirror does that work for them, then you are allowing Ishmael to mock you.
Get rid of Ishmael. Live with Isaac. That is the Key to Living.
Ishmael drives you to work, strive and do more to please God. The conclusion to those efforts is always failure and disappointment and beating oneself up. But if Ishmael sees Isaac living by faith and not seemingly doing anything to try and earn salvation then it stirs hatred within him.
The Key to Living is to recognise our calling is found in His goodness. He is good and everything He does is good and for good. Within this goodness we find courage to face the battle; self-discipline to resist temptation; generosity of hand; surrendered ego; a desire for truth.
Our prayer is this: May Christ be found in me; may Christ be formed in my living; may my intimate knowledge of Him grow not by works but by His grace alone.
This prayer is the Key to Living. The removal of Ishmael is the Key to Living. To be and not to do: is the Key to Living.
Missions Paul 