Galatians 1:10

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Galatians 1:10

Great question! Actually one that I ask myself often, especially when I am writing. Sometimes I think of things that I know will be harsh to some readers. There are even times when I do stop and think for a second if what I write is too over the top, to much or offensive. If I can keep myself focussed on wirtinfg freely and trusting the leading of the Spirit then generally I write what flows from my thought with out any hesitation. In some respects these are moments that I think for myself are like what Paul is expressing here to the Galatians.

To the Galatians Paul was concerned that the Churches were bending to the whim of those that bbelieved in some of the earlier traditions of circumscision as a show of ones belief. There was much debate about this outward show of faith so Paul poses the questions above. Basically, are you concerned more with pleasing God or in pleasing man, circumscsion or genuine faith and fruit.

So lets get down to the issue here and why I am writing. Who are you trying to please? What is your life about and what is the ultimate purpose for it? As my friend Seth asked his father, are you willing to stand solely on the life that you led before God? Think for a few minutes on this because truly, the answer does matter.

A man here today spoke to me about problems he is having at home. He expressed that he is constantly sending money home to his wife. She has a lot of expenses that are far above normal running of the household. $300 dollar phone bills, $200 shoes, etc. He says that she is always living to look good fpor others and he can't continue to just send money. There is a concern here only for tjhe outward showiness of material things. Here somone is trying to be happy by what she percieves others of how others will think or react to the things that she has.

You can apply this same thing to our Spiritual Life as Paul is doing here. For the Muslim for instance, there is a need for the washing of the hands, feet and head before prayer. This is a way of cleansing thses areas that may have been defiled or made unclean. The act of praying and where it is done is also an outward act of cleansing, in essence the same as circumscision. It has nothing to do with what is going on on the inside. However perfectly they perform the outward show, the heart can still be unclean. On top of that if washing is a way of making the outward areas clean, how do you eliminate inward sin. Lust, hatered, coveteness and the like? It is hard to wash the heart.

So Spiritually, concentrating on circumscision as a show of the faith that one has is only good to prove to somone else, maybe, what the faith in the heart is. To God, He will, in the end look at where the faith in your heart is. That you truly believed and attempted to please Him in obediance and deed and no other. So again, who are you trying to please?

When you volunteer at the Church what is the one thing that you are looking for in that time? That your friend says, wow, hey thanks for coming out and joining us or is it not to be noticed at all. Even in Small groups, are you trying to pour yourself out to all those around you or are you looking to be the guy with all the answers. By the way, ever admitt when you are wrong with something? Or check something you have said after you said it? When is that last time you just admitted failure or weakness to your friends or collegues? Do you stop and think, " I wonder what they will think if I truly tell them my feelings or fears in regards to Spiritual issues?" Are you pleasing man or God with this?

How about the non believers, because I like to give you something to chew on, what motivates your life? Don't act like you don't think about what the Jones have, or what they will think when you buy something. Isn't this the same thing as the Spiritual motives that Paul was speaking of? People were worried more about looking a certain way, possibly just to fit in, and not being honest and truthful with themselves by what was on the inside. We live our lives trying to please others and we will always be unhappy. I know, you are truly happy, right?

Think about the problems that our children have when they grow up trying to please evryone else. How about young girls that try to be like the woman on the magazine covers. Or your son who just isn't athletic enough to play the sport that he truly loves. Ridicul, insecurities all based on what somone else determines to be the normal and best things to have. The wife that I talked about above, actually blames the way she is on her parents as they were the same way. Hum?

So now to the bigger picture. The Gospels tell us that we should love God, Love Him with all of heart. that we should not place anything between Him and ourselves that would take away from that relationship. You know, money, cell phones, houses, carreer, circumscision. Anything that we make as an external sjhow rather then pure love from our heart is not good.

Also, all of the things of this world will pass away in the end. You can chase whatever you want and it will end up the same way when all is said and done, rotted and decayed or in the hands of someone else. In the ultimate end it will just be dust like everything else that must be tested. What will not be taken from you, what will remain through your second death is the condition of your heart, your faith in God. The things that truly motivated you as you lived here on earth. Did you chase your friends acceptance or Gods? God will know truly what it is.

When you boil all this down, your friends don't mean that much in the sceme of things. How many people from your life do you really see often anyway? How many of them don't have issues of their own? Your going to trust them for your eternal destiny? See if you concern yourself with the world you are determining all of these other things are more important then God. You are allowing a fallen world to lead you when you had the key to all of your happiness right in front of you. You will chose to ignore God and His word because your friends may think that you have gone crazy. You will continue to play your faith out at church instead of truly living your faith out because you can't tell the other Decons you just don't feel it. What ever the reason, if you don't forsake the world and follow Jesus Christ you are chasing the wrong path and Hell will not only be this life but it will beyour next life also.

There is only one path to eternal life and that is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of all men, if they chose to follow Him. Look at your life and what you truly fear and if you need to change, do so before it is too late. Oh, and don't worry about what your friends think, they are in the same boat as you.

Lord Jesus, draw us closer to you. Let us see the faults in our heart, the things that we have between you and us. Convict us of the idols, let us see all of the external things that must be cut away. Let our faith be truly in you and not in what people see. Amen.