For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet please men, I shall not be the servant of God.
(Gal. 1:10)
Paul says in this verse, 'what is my purpose on this earth? To be a father pleaser or a people pleaser?' The premise that he's establishing in this first chapter to the Galatians is that you have the choice. You can either please God and offend the world or offend the world and please God. You have to make that choice on a daily basis.

In Matthew 10:35, Jesus said: 'For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, the daughter against the mother, and a man's foes will be those of his own household.' Now that message is very clear. Jesus said: 'Think not that I have come to bring peace, I've come the bring a sword, for father and mother and brother and sister shall be divided.

What does He mean? He means a sword divides. You're divided by who Jesus Christ is in your life. If you obey Him, you're going the offend people in your family. You're going to offend your closest friends. The Bible says that's exactly what you ought to do, because the moment you start trying to appease people and their opinions, as opposed to the Word of God, you're already on a slippery slope that will destroy your own faith.

Let me direct you to the Apostle Peter after following Jesus for three and a half years. He was approached by a servant girl when Christ was on trial as to whether he was a Galilean or not. And he said, 'I don't know Jesus Christ.' Peter was very close to losing his soul. For the Bible says: 'If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father and His angels.'

Peter said, 'I don't know the man.' Why? Because a servant girl interrogated him about his identification with Jesus Christ. If there's one thing in this corrupt society that the Body of Christ needs to hear, is that our absolute allegiance is to the Word of God and our absolute allegiance is to the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't even try to appease nor pacify anyone whose opinion or position is contrary to the Word of God, because you are on this earth temporarily.

When you step in eternity, it's forever. When you step into eternity, you want to see the face of Almighty God whom you have obeyed and pleased. Because God says in His Word very clearly: 'Those who do my will are of the household of faith.'

If you don't do His will through the obedience of God, you're going the wrong direction. May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of the Word.