For Me 8!

For Me 8!

Galatians 1:10 KJV

[10] For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

There comes a time in everyone's life, when there is a need to take a stand on something you have become convinced of. If you are not yet sure about the truth, you are permitted to go in search of it, but once you have found it, and have become convinced beyond every element of doubt that you have and know the truth, it becomes unacceptable if you still refuse to stand by it, or to defend it to anyone. This was where Paul found himself at the start of his letter to the church in Galatia. He started by making it clear that the assignment he had was not of the will of man, but of God. He was not sent to please man, but he was serving and working at the behest of, and for the pleasure of God Himself. That is the clear testimony of a man who knows who he is, who he works for and where he is headed. You cannot be unsure of who you are and still expect that you can make impact. 

If you are not sure, what is the guarantee that you will not compromise at the first hint of trouble? Paul was sure of who he was, as well as clear about the person who called him, and what he had been called to do. This was why he could also tell Timothy that "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day". That is confidence in the knowledge of God, and the result of a daily and regular walk with and work for Him. In God's hand is where safety is. You cannot keep anything safe until you are also safe. You cannot give what you do not have. You also cannot make such boast if you are still living for the pleasure of men, or depending on man for daily bread. Check out the verse above: "Do I now persuade men, or God? Ask yourself the same question and honestly answer in the light of your daily pursuits and priorities. 

For Paul, it was clear where his priorities lay. He would rather displease man than displease God. The price you pay for displeasing God is huge; if man is angry with you, you can ask God to intervene on your behalf, but if it is God who is angry with you, who do you appeal to? Paul challenged Peter to his face when his hypocrisy could have led men astray. He was not afraid to speak up when it mattered, as long as the truth about God was the focus. If pleasing men is the project, then know that the verse above makes it clear that I cannot also please God in the same way. These are two parallel lines that can never meet, no matter how far you draw them, or how hard you try to align them. They both flow from different sources, are sustained by different standards, and have different eternal realities. Make the right decision to please God; your eternity will be glad you did. God's time of favour is here.