Growing with Galatians Daily Devotion

"But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:25–27, ESV).

The word "guardian" is interesting. Guardians were similar to babysitters. Guardians protected the children from themselves. Guardians child-proofed the house. Guardians made sure homework was done. Children had guardians until they could be trusted to make their own decisions. Children need guardians until they mature. Adults are guardians or at least are supposed to be guardians. The words "mature adult" should be a redundancy, not an oxymoron!

Which, by the way, are you? A child or an adult? Do you need a guardian or are you ready to be a guardian? Since none of us is fully mature, a better question is "in which areas of life do you need a guardian and in which areas can you be someone's guardian?" The more faith you have in an area, the less you need a guardian. The less faith you have in an area, the more you need a guardian. How to know which is which? Worry and fear are strong indicators. The areas you worry most about or fear most are likely the areas where your faith needs strengthening.  You may need a guardian. The areas you are confident and courageous are areas where your faith is strong. Here you might be guardian to another. In either case, remember: the guardian's job is to work him/herself out of a job!

Today, define one area of life where you need a guardian. Ask God to bring a guardian into your life. Someone who can help you grow up in this area. Someone who will "work him/herself out of the job." Also, define one area of life where you are ready to be someone's guardian. Ask God to bring someone into your life who needs your help and then work yourself out of that job.