it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”

Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.

Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.

Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people,

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.

But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he served with me in advancing the gospel.

because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ.

“We are descendants of Abraham,” they replied, “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there and worship me in this place.’

serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots of the Jews.

We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.

But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.

For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.

but he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.