"To All Who Listen"

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance." (Psalms 89:15)
Does grace or mercy have a sound? That might sound like a silly question, but I could not help but think of that while I was thinking of Galatians 1:3. Really, it's quite a simple little verse; just a quick little hello from the Apostle Paul, saying, "Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." It might not make much sense to the world, but the peace which comes from God through our Lord Jesus Christ does come with volume! I can't quite say it any other way. Grace and mercy are what God pours out upon us; abundant mercy and spectacular grace! Peace is what we are given as a result of that spectacular grace, because it is grace that can never be taken away, ever! I heard something yesterday at church, something that I have never ever heard before. Pastor Bryan is starting the Book of Galatians, and we were taken through the first ten verses; in the process, he called our attention to something that was part of Roman law in Paul's day. Apparently, if you are adopted into a family, you actually have more rights to an inheritance than those that are in your household who are naturally born into that household. Those that are born into the household must prove their position of ownership to an inheritance, but those that are adopted, have been chosen to be part of the inheritance. I know it might sound a little strange, that someone adopted has more rights that those naturally born; but you need to look at from the perspective of ownership. If you as a parent have adopted a child, you are obligated to care for the needs of that child; almost more than you are obligated to care for the needs of a child you have given birth to. The child you had given birth to, happened to have been born into your home, but the adopted child was chosen to be brought into your home, and thus, you need to provide for it. In other words, you own it, and now it's your responsibility to give it a part of your wealth. Can you see the importance of what that represents? Do you hear the sound of being placed into the family of God? No more worries, no more shame; you are free from worry because you are protected and cared for, and you are free from shame because your sins have been bought and paid for; you are now a child of God...
"Dear brothers and sisters, here's an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. God gave the promise to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn't say "to his children," as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says "to his child" -and that, of course, means Christ. This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise." (Galatians 3:15-18) NLT