Galatians 1:10 by adp

"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ"

This is the time of year when almost everyone is making the resolutions to live and be something or someone different. "I want to lose 10 pounds this year", "I want a better job", "I want to be friendlier", "I want... I want... I want...", I think you get the picture. Most of us think that by starting a new year that we get to start over on things, that there is something magical about January 1st. The truth is, it is just another day. Yes it may be the beginning of a new year, but that's about it. I think that if we were really honest with ourselves, every time in the past when we have made "new year's resolutions" or motives have been self-centered.

Let me give some examples and explain. "I want to read the Bible all the way through", "I want to pray everyday", "I want to spend more time evangelizing". ALL OF THESE ARE GOOD THINGS, please don't misunderstand what I am saying, but; why do we make these declarations? How many professing believers have never read the whole Bible? How many professing believers don't pray? How many professing believers do not share the good news of Christ? (I don't even want to take a guess.) New Year's gives those "professing believers" a chance to get motivated to do all the things believers should be "doing" anyway, so they think. How long do "new year's resolutions" last? In my case, never very long. The point is we try to make bargains with ourselves instead of looking to Christ and asking Him to help us where we fail in the Christian life. Why do "professing believers" want to read the whole Bible? Most cases, so that when they are asked, they won't have to lie or won't be embarrassed when they tell the truth. "I want to pray everyday, so that I can say that I pray everyday." "I want to evangelize so that people will think I am this great Christian." (I need to pause here and say that I have been guilty of all of these things, but I am writing these things so that, "we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."-- I Corinthians 3:18) The realization is that we should be motivated to "do" these things out of love to God in Christ.

When we look at Galatians 1:10 we should evaluate our situation in light of who we are "striving to please." Christians... where is our love? our devotion? our prayer life? our worship? What do you think will happen when true believers live whole-heartedly for the sake of Christ? MAY GOD HELP US ALL TO LIVE THIS WAY! I am confident we will see biblical revival. God will honor His great name among His children.

Sadly we live in an era that wants to tell us that we should only do things that glorify self, whether that be by sexual pleasures, drug "highs", disobedience, dieting, self-image, etc. The truth is, "all flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER"-- Isaiah 40:6b-8a. Only the word of God will stand forever!

So who are you striving to please? God? or man? If you are striving to please men... you are not a bond-servant of Christ.

For the sake of our God, because of His great mercy in giving us His Son, let us all repent and strive to please the One, "who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" -- Matthew 10:28.