Scripture - Gal 1:9-10 As we have already said, so now I say again; If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! 10 Am I now trying t 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.
Observation - Paul is addressing a problem in the churches of Galatia. He is trying to keep the message of Jesus Christ pure and free of rhetoric. He is attempting to compel the Galatians to hold true to the message and not allow anything to get into the mix. He says "Who am I trying to please?" Asking this question denotes great concern that the message would be changed based upon the people who would try to influence the ministers of the gospel. Paul is telling us that the message is not to be changed based upon the people, the message must stay the same and the people must change. There are so many things today trying to get into the mix of preaching the gospel and they need to stay out of the message.
Application - As a pastor many things vie for your attention. There are so many opinions of what should be done and how they should be done. It seems that the message of Jesus gets lost in the show. We are so busy trying to attract people to what we have going on that we forget that Jesus has the power to draw if we allow Him to do just that. The message of Christ can not change because of where you are or who you are. The message must stay true and pure. The stuff that we do - is just that stuff. There needs to be a clear understanding that we are servants not to please man but to rescue him.
Prayer - I have only three words today "Father, Help Me!"
