This Is Divine Business

Scripture:

Gal. 1:1   Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the members of God’s family who are with me, 

 To the churches of Galatia:

Gal. 1:3   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Observation:

The churches of Galatia were struggling. You’ll notice that Paul doesn’t greet the saints as he normally does in his letters, but simply the churches. Something radical had happened and it was at the hand of human influence. Preachers who were not called by God were coming and spreading their own version of the gospel. This had severely disrupted the new churches, their growth and development. Instead of being free from the present evil age, they were turning away from the gospel they had received and returning to the ways of the world. This was creating heartache for the great Apostle, for he understood that all of this was divine business. 

Application:

Because we live and work in this world, it becomes very easy to become influenced by the perspectives which we encounter. The problem is that there is a difference between the secular and the divine. We must be reminded that God’s business is divine business and it will not be like the things of this world.  While it may seem to be more comfortable to embrace as much of the world as we possibly can, we may just discover that we have forgotten the things of God.

There is divine mystery involved in following Jesus Christ. Yes, we live in a material world and like to see, touch, and smell those things which we encounter. How do we embrace faith in a God who is unseen? And yet, this is the mystery and an embracing of the divine. A willingness to serve as God’s messenger should never be as a result of a desire for worldly gain, but rather because of a divine call. Paul was not sent by human commission, instead, he was confident that he had received a call from Jesus Christ, the risen Lord to be engaged in this ministry. We must be certain of the calling which we have received. Not everyone is called to vocational ministry, but we are all called to follow Jesus Christ, and this must be a divine call, not of human origin. Of course, God uses people as instruments to help call others, but even those who are simply God’s mouthpiece must know that they are entirely dependent upon God. 

The call to discipleship is costly. Some in Galatia were following preachers who showed them an easier way. The reality is that there is no easy way. We are called to participate in divine business, putting our faith and trust in the God who transforms. The joy of this moment is that we can be set entirely free and live through faith in the divine. 

When tempted to listen to the voices of the day, remember to slow down and tune in to the divine. Join with those who have paid the price and gone before, refusing to succumb to the temptations of this present evil age.

Prayer:

Lord, today, and every day, I want to be faithful in following you. Amen.