Am I now trying to win
the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I
were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10
While you live upon
this earth, know today that you have a choice to make… This choice is not
something that is decided verbally but is declared by actions and intentions…
Paul reminds us today that we must get away from the thinking of trying to
appease or appeal to our peers and focus on winning the approval of Christ…
There is no one on this earth who has a say-so or can even decide where you
will spend eternity; however, there are so many of us who spend valuable
amounts of time trying to please people as if they have power over us… The message
of today’s devotional is simple, adhere
to the voice of God even if it means that you will lose friends and find
yourself alone at times… Paul faced several doubters after his conversion,
he could have very easily given into the peer pressure and walked away from the
voice of the Lord; however, in walking by faith as he told the church of
Corinth he continued to do what God desired of him and reaped the bountiful
rewards because of his obedience… Not everyone will approve your transition or
transformation, not everyone will be happy about the new you, so as you grow in
Christ make the decision and stand by it that you will not be governed or
restricted by man… We all must learn from prior knowledge or our very own
experiences that we must strive to seek the approval of God verses the approval
of men… Paul was a prime example of what we all face at some point in our
lives; it doesn’t matter whether it is your youthful days dealing with peer
pressure or your adult hood dealing with the levels of success according to the
worldly standards… Paul was a book smart intelligent man who (by seeking the
approval of men) sought out the Christian churches to persecute them and tear
them down… It took His very own encounter with the Lord to bare witness to
God’s divinity and to the will He had for Him… See, we like Paul find ourselves
doing things that appear right; however, we always end up filling empty and out
of place… Today, make your election of the Lord sure… Stand by faith and know
that it doesn’t matter how many friends you lose and it doesn’t matter how many
people turn their backs on you… The bible tells us that when we leave our areas
of comfort behind that God sees that and we will be rewarded… “And everyone who has left houses or brothers
or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a
hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)
Paul makes is clear to the Church of Galatia that he isn't worried about being approved by
men or adhering the ways of the world, this verse calls for us to examine the
motives of our actions everyday and what is it that we seek in this life… What
is your objective on this earth? What are you focusing on or what is driving
and motivating you? This is the question that Paul is addressing to the church of Galatia... The church was being
divided by people who were succumbing to the pressures of the nations around
them! The church was under attack by sexual immorality and debauchery… Galatia was being torn apart and some were trying to stand on God’s
will, while the others were saying that they should adopt the culture that is
being lived around them… Paul is saying that you must make your election sure;
you cannot waver on where you stand or who has the influence on your life! So
many people say that they are a child of God and walking in His will, but they
allow the people around them to dictate how they live their life… They hide
their Christianity to fit in and deny God as their father to abstain from
conflict. Paul is saying that you have two options to choice from, either walk
with God or walk with the world… There is no middle ground! Notice the last sentence of this verse, “If I were still trying to please men I would
not be a servant of Christ!” The bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters; whether you
believe it or not, focusing on the opinion of man will lead to serving their
opinion which will lead to you straying away from Christ… Paul understands that
there was a time when he was worried about what his peers thought, there was a
time when he was persecuting the church and filled with the poison of the
world… He knows that in pleasing man you cannot please God! We all at one point
and time were “still trying to
please men,” we accepted bad
habits; settled for sinful things and fell short of the glory of God, but now
is the time for you to show through your actions and lifestyle whom you serve…
Paul says today that I am a servant of God because I don’t care about what man
thinks of me, I know longer am caught up in titles or peer pressure, I know
longer need to fit in or fill wanted by the people around me… I know I am a servant of Christ because I
can let things go, I can let people go, I can let circumstance go, I can let
fleshly desires go… Whose approval do you seek? Paul sought the approval of
man and fell upon his face; God picked him up and planted him on a solid
foundation to preach the Gospel of Christ…. When you seek the approval of men
you will fall flat on your face, when you seek God’s approval He will pick you
up and plant you on a solid foundation that will remain forever! The choice is yours; just know that a
choice must indeed be made…
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