August 13, 2025

BEING KNOWN BY GOD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God—or should I say, now that God knows you—why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.”

Galatians 4:8-11 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

We live in a society increasingly marked by addiction—not just to substances like drugs or alcohol, but to behaviors like gambling, pornography, food, and shopping. These patterns often enslave people, robbing them of joy and purpose. I know friends who have invested months, even years, in rehab, counseling, and support groups to break free—only to fall back into the same cycles. It’s heartbreaking to watch.

That’s the kind of grief Paul expresses in this passage. He reminds the Gentile believers of their past: they were once slaves to false gods—powerless idols like Zeus and Hermes that couldn’t love, hear, or save them. But then, everything changed. They came to know God—or more accurately, God came to know them.

That word “know” in the Greek (γνόντες / gnontes) means more than just intellectual understanding. It speaks of personal, intimate relationship. These believers had encountered the love and grace of God. Their lives had been transformed by the gospel.

But then something tragic happened. The Judaizers came in and pulled them backward—not to their old idol worship, but into something equally enslaving: legalism. They traded freedom in Christ for rules and rituals, believing that observing religious calendars or special days would make them more acceptable to God. It’s as if they were falling back into a spiritual addiction—this time to the law.

Paul’s concern is clear: Why go back to slavery when you’ve been set free?

This is a powerful warning to us today. Legalism may not look like idol worship, but it’s just as deceptive. It appeals to our flesh, feeds pride and makes outward performance a substitute for inward relationship. It convinces us that by keeping certain rules or traditions, we can earn or maintain God’s favor.

Is it wrong to observe special days like Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost? No. These can be meaningful times to remember God’s work of grace. The problem isn’t the observance—it’s when the observance becomes a requirement or a measurement of someone’s spirituality. We must resist the urge to judge others for how—or whether—they choose to celebrate.

God’s grace brings liberty, not bondage. The day we worship (Saturday, Sunday, or any other day) isn’t sacred in itself—what matters is that we gather regularly with God’s people and personally spend time with Him. The point isn’t tradition; the point is relationship.

I still remember growing up in a church culture where Sunday School had to start at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:45 a.m. sharp. No one knew why—we just did it that way. But God isn’t measuring our spiritual maturity by the clock or the calendar. He’s calling us into a life-giving, intimate relationship.

The real focus is knowing God—and being known by Him. That’s what transforms us. That’s what sustains us. Let’s not settle for surface religion when deep relationship is available.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, help me to grow daily in my intimate relationship with You. Help me live from a place of grace, not legalism. Teach me to delight in You, both personally and with Your body, the Church. Let my rhythms of worship be rooted in love, not routine. Amen.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”