Galatians 1:10 AMPC
[10] Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah)
In a world that is filled with compromise and deceit, the verse above reminds us that the standards of God have not changed or been lowered, even with the passing of time and the changing of dispensations and priorities. What God rejected as sin in the days of Adam and Eve, as well as the days of Peter and John are still being rejected today as sin. Riches, influence, connections and the power of men have not been able to change that. The world today wants to normalise and legalise all that God called abomination, and men are slowly losing their awe and fear of God and the things he has expressly laid out as what He accepts. It is important that I carefully consider my current pursuits and priorities, and be sure that they line up with God's express will. The views of men are so fluid that they can take any position, as long as they align with their desires at the time.
Paul, the man who wrote this letter to the church in Galatia, knew very clearly who had sent him on assignment, and his loyalty was to this God. At the start of the letter, he made it clear to his audience that he was sent, not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father. The mandate was clear; the identity of the Master was clear; the one being sent with the message was clear; the message too was clear. Paul owed his new life to the One who gave him Life, and he was clear that no one could take that life without God's permission. He would rather fear this God than fear mortal man; he would rather seek to gain and retain God's approval, than seek to please man and end up displeasing God. Whatever came his way in the course of the assignment was not going to distract him from the fundamental understanding of who he was, who he was working for, why he was working and what he was working for.
This has to be my own position too, as I take on all that God wants me to. Like Paul, it has to be very clear to me what is ahead, and how I will get there. Men will have their views, but God must have His way in my life. Men are the target of my ministry but they must never be able to dictate terms and conditions of engagement. Men must know the God I serve and they must be attracted to Him, not by compulsion or pretence, but by a life that reflects the grace of God. Like Paul, pleasing men at the expense of God must not be my focus, but pleasing God by obeying Him, and stepping out at His command to touch the lives of men must be the focus. As Paul said in the verse above, I cannot do both at the same time. It is either I please God, or I please men. If I choose to please men, it would be the path to eternal destruction. The One who saved me for Himself must be the One I obey. What of you? God's time of favour is here.
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