Sent on August 3, 2016
Dear all,
Galatians 1:10 says, “Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave” (The Message).
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he is making a point that he is not attempting to manipulate anyone. He is simply declaring to them the truth of God. It is then up to the Galatians to believe it or not, to act on it or not.
Manipulation is a form of witchcraft that seeks to control others with deception. That deception might be through lying or presenting oneself as someone who is in authority. It is an attempt to get someone to do something that, in reality, they do not want to do.
James 3:16 says, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” When manipulation is present, every evil thing is ready to take advantage of the situation.
As believers we are not to be involved in manipulating anyone, but rely on God for promotion. The way of advancement is James 4:10: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Walking in humility before God and man is the way of moving forward for believers. You have a wonderful opportunity to begin a practice of watching others to see how you can serve them.
As you humble yourself God sees your humility and says, “I can trust them to use what I give them for My Glory; I can promote them because they will use a position of authority to bring blessing to others.”
One of the greatest ways to show kindness is to speak encouragement to others, showing them that you care. Your words spoken from a humble heart can brighten up the darkest days, both for you and your hearers.
Rejoice today knowing that the path of humility will bring you to the high places…
Love to all,
P.B.
P.S. The most popular article on the Faithworks blog right now is, How to Get Perspective on your Life: Remembering God is in Control. If you haven’t done so already, you can read it here.