Galatians 1: Who Do You Please?
Verse of the Day: (V10) “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.”
1. Preach (V1-9)
V1 “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Apostle Paul affirmed himself as an apostle, not chosen by men, but God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul warned the Corinthian Christians to be careful of other gospels, other than the true gospel of Christ. Indeed, there is no compromise, as we either preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ or none at all, because only Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Almighty God shall judge and punish the men who preached the other gospels which were all from the devil that would surely send men to fiery hell.
V9 “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
2. Please (V10-17)
V10 “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.”
Again Paul asserted himself as an apostle of God and not of men. Unlike the politics of the day where the religious Jewish leaders sought to please men by their vain preaching and much flattery to please men into supporting their leadership and religion, Paul preached nothing but repentance of sins and returning to the holy God. In fact Paul was once a religious Jewish leader and even persecuted Christians, but God called, saved and used him to preach the gospel of Christ. However, many still rejected the gospel of Christ because they were proud and chose to walk after their lusts than to trust the living God.
V13 “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:”
3. Persecuted (V18-24)
V23 “But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.”
Many Christians believed in Christ and glorified God, when they heard that Paul who was once the religious leader persecuting the Christians and destroying Christianity was now not only a Christian but an apostle of God faithfully preaching the gospel of Christ.
V24 “And they glorified God in me.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to please You and You alone.
