I came upon this verse in Galatians today. "Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." I started to think about what it means to be an heir. Paul was saying that the law is our tutor to guide us to Christ. We are God's children, heirs with rights and privileges as family members. Sometimes we may chose not to use those rights or in our ignorance we may ignore the rights that we have, but nonetheless they are there.
Paul says I have the right to call out to God "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4:6 I may chose, as the prodigal son did to stray away from my Father, but that doesn't change the relationship, but only the fellowship. It changes my ability to hear him when I walk away from Him. It displeases him when we do things that He has told us not to do. I can't see God with a smile on his face when I knowingly walk away from Him anymore that I can image smiling up at watching a children play in highway traffic. You realize the danger your child faces in the light of what you know. The child may be ignorant of the danger or simply be stubborn, but the danger is there and the rules are there for his or her safety.
So Paul reminds us, you are not a slave. You have right and privileges. You have the right to go before God with some boldness. You don't have to act like a stranger. I remember a convention years ago in Dallas that I went to when the speaker said, "Most people try to do what they can and don't pray a whole lot till they get into trouble. Then, they rush into prayer and begin to pray to the point of spiritual hyperventiliating." We try to go on our own, playing in traffic sometimes, oblivious to the dangers, wanting to do things our own way. God patiently waits for us to realize that He is nearby and wants to hear from us.
"Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;" Heb 10:22-23
