Not of Men

"Paul, an apostle, (not of men . . .)" Galatians 1:1

Not called of men, nor called to please men. The driving Force in our lives ought only to be Jesus Christ.

A number of years ago, an individual who had faced great hardship early in life told my husband and me that during his difficult circumstances, he had determined never to experience that same hardship again. Although it is reasonable to avoid pain (we all do!), there is a subtle form of idolatry in those promises: "I will never be robbed again." "I will never be hungry again." "I will never be lonely again." "I will never be left out again." "I will never feel ugly again." Those promises become mission statements, dictating the choices we make for the rest of our lives. In other words, they become our gods. And false gods always demand that we become their slaves.

Sometimes we are most inclined to worship what we once could not have. If we face deprivation, we are tempted to become slaves of materialism and overindulgence, promising ourselves we will never be cold, or hungry, or impoverished again. If we felt like outsiders early in life, we may be tempted to become slaves of our peer group--unwilling to do or say anything that might disturb the acceptance of others. If we have been victimized by other people, we can be tempted to lust for power and control. It makes natural sense, but natural sense is often what cuts between us and the perfect will of God.

What if doing right means that you will indeed be vulnerable again? What if choosing to please the Lord means that others might reject you? What if God's will for your life takes you to a season of loneliness? What if standing up for truth means you will have to rebel against the crowd?

What controls your choices? You have just been introduced to your god.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20