WHO DO YOU SERVE

GALATIANS 1:10 NKJ 
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. 

OBSERVATION: 

In this first chapter of his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul is laying out his credentials in Christ. 

From the very start, he begins to establish that it was God who called him and equipped him to be an apostle. Paul outlines his past life as one who used to persecute the church of Jesus Christ. And that the gospel he preaches is not from men but from God.   

This theme of not men but God is the theme of verse ten. Paul asks if he should be trying to please men or please God. This is obviously a rhetorical question because Paul answers it for them.   

If he was still trying to please men, he would not be a bondservant of Christ. The truths we see in this statement are quite revealing.   

Still trying to please men. Paul is indicating that he once lived with an eye toward making his mark in man's system of doing things. He was advancing through the ranks of Jewish religion, which was very man oriented system with its man-made laws and regulations This is how he used to live, but not any longer.   

A bondservant of Christ. This is more than a religious statement; this servanthood was part of Paul's new identity in Christ. He saw himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus. And it was Jesus who said no man can serve two masters. Paul was no longer motivated by trying to please men. His motivation was to please his new master, Jesus.   

APPLICATION: 

Trying to please God and man is an impossible task. So, we must make up our minds as to whom we will serve. At some point, serving God will put you at odds with man, just as serving man will go counter to pleasing God.   

Paul made his choice and identified with being a servant of God. That is a great place to start. Identifying with being a servant of Jesus Christ is a mindset change. He is not just our Savior. He is our Lord, the Boss, the One who calls the shots.   

With a new Boss comes new responsibilities, but He equips us to handle them. And having a new Boss, a new Lord, also comes with new benefits. And those benefits are profitable in this life and the life to come.   

With the challenge comes the blessings. The challenge of serving Christ, not men, comes with blessings that impact our lives for eternity.   

PRAYER: 

Dear Lord, thank You for giving Your life for me. I am Your servant, and You are my Lord and Master.