We cannot live like a King until we learn the discipline of the Kingdom (sonship)
Galatians 4:1-7 [focused on verses 1-2 and 7] from The Voice
1 Listen. I am going to explain how this all works: When a minor inherits an estate from his parents, although he is the owner of everything, he is the same as a slave. 2 Until the day set by his father, the minor is subject to the authorities or guardians whom his father put in charge. 3 It is like that with us; there was a time when we were like children held under the elemental powers of this world. 4 When the right time arrived, God sent His Son into this world (born of a woman, subject to the law) 5 to free those who, just like Him,were subject to the law. Ultimately He wanted us all to be adopted as sons and daughters.6 Because you are now part of God’s family, He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts;and the Spirit calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 You no longer have to live as a slave because you are a child of God. And since you are His child, God guarantees an inheritance is waiting for you.
A king who is a child cannot rule. He must learn the discipline it takes to rule: diplomacy, justice [law], compassion, obedience, longsuffering, patience, and faith. Until these lessons are learned, [s]he cannot inherit the rightful place of leadership she was born to. Christ had to learn obedience also and the Bible says he learned obedience by the things he suffered. [Hebrews 5:8]
We have a difficult time inheriting our place in the Kingdom because we have no discipline – we stay up too late, watch too much TV, don’t want to fast, hate missing out on pleasure, have no desire to profit from exercise, fail to read the Word, etc. The book of Proverbs chastises us for being lazy (vs. 19:24 and many more). Yet we remain undisciplined and the will to be more disciplined is absent.
Interestingly, from the book of Job, we find a passage that describes what God wants from us and how he will help move us in this direction. Chapter 36
5 Look! God has great strength, but He does not detest human beings; He is mighty indeed, and His heart swells with understanding.
6 He does not preserve the life of the wicked,but He grants justice to those who are weak and humble.
7 He does not divert His gaze from the righteous;
He enthrones them with monarchs,
lifts them up to positions of power forever.
8 And if the people are restrained in chains,
caught in the cords of their misery,
9 Then He explains to them their exploits,
their errors, and how they have lived in arrogance.
10 He uncovers their ears so as to hear His teaching
and commands them to abandon their sinful path.
11 If they hear and choose to serve Him,
then they end their days in prosperity and their years in felicity.
12 But if they refuse to listen, then they will pass over to the land of death by the sword
and will arrive, lacking any wisdom, at their death.
vs. 10 in the King James says: “He openeth their ear to discipline . . . ” which explains the definition in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia ” . . . refers to moral discipline, the strenuous cultivation of the righteous life” He helps us come to gather the discipline, the hunger and thirst after His word, the need to be in His presence, the realization of how ghastly and desolate life is without Him!
To that end I rejoice in Phillipians 2:13 which reads: 13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while [a]effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and [b]delight. [Amplified]
He is working to give us the discipline to seek him and to will and work to fulfill His purpose for us!! Praise Him for His marvelous acts!!
God is so good that he will establish us on thrones [In His throne Rev. 3:21] and the places where we need to learn and do better will He show to us including the iniquities and transgressions we have done.
He has no greater pleasure than to act as our father. Gracious and good yet firm and demanding the best of us. Interested in getting from us our best and being a rewarded of those who want to reach the mark. More about that later . . .
Grace and peace!