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Who do I really care about in my life? When it comes to pleasing one person over another or please a group of people over another we usually pick a favorite. For example, if I choose between my work and family I will always choose family. If I choose between my wife and my kids I will always choose my wife. The same thing is true with God and the things of this world; I will always choose God… Or do I? The truth is I really need to consciously remember what is the most important thing in my life (or should be) and that is my relationship with God. In verse 10 Paul makes the statement 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. Pleasing God and having a relationship with Him should take precedence over anything else in my life. I need to remember this daily, which is why spending time in the Bible is so crucial to building and maintaining that relationship.
On a purely apologetic note….I’ve had many non-believers tell me that Paul was just a good salesperson. That he got this idea in his head and then started telling people about it. While he may have been a good salesperson, they are missing the fact that he didn’t just get this idea in his head and start telling people. In this passage, as he is establishing his authority to these people, he says that the Gospel was given directly to him by God, but he didn’t just go out and start telling people. He spent 3 years in Arabia and then he went to Jerusalem to compare stories with Peter…you know, they guy Jesus said was the rock of the church. He didn’t talk to anyone else. Went straight to the authority. They found their stories matched. Only then did he go out and share the Gospel. Just a little fact to share with folks:)
Good stuff, Sarah!