Priorities!

Priorities!

“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. ”

Galatians 1:10 KJV

A child of God is required to have the right priorities. The moment I decided to leave all and follow Jesus was the moment I knew my current direction was not taking me anywhere safe. For all of us naturally born of women, the moment of decision is non-negotiable. For Paul who wrote this letter to the churches in Galatia, there was a moment too when he had to make a choice: persist in his old ways, or choose to follow Christ. We now read of the impact and effect of that decision by Paul. At some point in his journey of faith, he came across these churches, and he introduced himself as an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father.

That is clarity of purpose and direction. That was a man who knew who he was, what he had been called to do, where he had been planted to thrive and impact, and where he was headed. It was that clarity that made him sure of what he was saying to these churches in this letter. There must have been a clear departure from the truths Paul had worked hard to teach this church; now there were people who were pushing and pursuing a gospel different from the one that Paul had taught. That is the danger of the generation we are in: it is easier to blend in with that which is sinful than to hold on to the standards God has set in righteousness. 

It is clear that God will not lower His standard for anyone. It does not matter how long the unrighteousness has stood; it does not matter how far the lie has travelled; the truth of God’s word will always outlast the lie. That which God punished in the life of Adam and Eve will still be punished today, if the sinner remains in sin. That is the standard of a God who does not change like shifting shadows. Reflect on how serious Paul viewed a departure from the divine standard, when he said that even if one of the camp of the apostles, or even an angel from heaven came to preach any other gospel other than that which had been preached, such a person should be cursed. 

Strong words, but quite timely for such a time like this. There is grace that draws men to the salvation that Jesus offers, and it is also the same grace that keeps the same man in the path of salvation. Men are the tools that may be used by God to draw men to the light of the gospel, but we must not take our eyes off the Saviour and fix them on the vessels. I owe it to God to fix my gaze on Him as the One who matters. All other people or things are mere tools in the hands of this same God to work out His purpose. There is no pleasing man; I cannot play both sides and win. It is either God takes all or nothing at all. Who is in charge; who is the master? God's time of favour is here.