Reading for Wednesday, January 27th
“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. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: ‘The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me.“ Galatians 1:10-24
I love the beginning of this text, “If I were trying to win the approval of men, I would not be serving Christ,” and the end of this text, “And they praised God because of me.” Can you imagine a better way to influence others than to inspire them to praise God? Can you imagine living your life in such a way that when people who don’t even know you hear about you, they are inspired to praise God? That was the apostle Paul. And, of course, he didn’t just influence those who hadn’t met him, he also was a major influence in the lives of many who knew him well. He influenced people to give their lives to Christ, to start churches, to devote themselves to the vocation of ministry, to live holy lives. Paul was a man of influence, and in Galatians we can see why: because he knew the difference between trying to please people and trying to influence people. If you’re trying to do one, it’s difficult to accomplish the other.
