This morning I wake thinking and praying for a Pastor who has received slanderous comments from within their church. It has hurt him deeply and the reason being is not that there was any truth in what was said but the comments were too close for comfort (it was indeed personal whether or not the slanderer realised it or not).
I say that because this next verse is showing that Paul also experienced what this Pastor has.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1 v 10)
When Paul was a strict Pharisee he would have looked at those who were not adhering to his righteous living as people who were compromising in order to please people. Now he is being called a people-pleaser himself. Whether it was said on purpose or not, it hurts. The irony is it comes from the preachers and teachers who were themselves doing anything they could to please the Romans. They tried to deceive the Galatia church into circumcision so that they could say there is only one Jewish group. We know this because of what he writes at the end of the letter, “Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh” (6:12-13). So actually it is the name-callers who are the people-pleasers, not Paul.
What happened to Paul is what happened to Jesus.
John 8 v48-59 “The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honour my Father and you dishonour me.
I wrote these 5 things down on a piece of paper some time back when I was praying for someone hurt by comments:-
- Words really do count and they can hurt, it is not just sticks and stones.
- Words that are slurs outweigh the over-sensitivity of people.
- Words lead to consequences.
- Words build on sand where nothing of substance is formed.
- Words come from fools who live to regret their words.
I think the answer is within this proverb:
The words that flow from the Spirit-filled believer is like honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16 v24). Words that flow from the non-Spirit filled believer do not.
If you are hurt today because of comments said to you yesterday then know that it happened to Jesus and it happened to Paul.
Missions Paul 