A Deeper Life In ChristSample

Seek God’s face alone for clear directions

After his dramatic conversion, Apostle Paul changed his life vocation from being a persecutor of the Christians to become a dynamic preacher of the gospel (v. 23). In Galatians 1:11-12, 15-17, Paul clarified the source of his gospel message to convince his readers that the gospel he had preached to them was the true gospel and what the false teachers were presenting was heresy. Paul actually traveled to the deserts of Arabia where he spent about three years in prayer and meditating on God’s Word in light to the revelation that he had received (v. 17). God removed the veil from his eyes and revealed many truths to Paul directly. God gave him clear directions concerning some basic elements of Christianity, which are evident in his epistle to the Galatians.

These include the need to avoid legalism, the need to avoid self-effort,the need to avoid exchanging grace for a different gospel, about not trying to please God through own efforts, and about not trying to develop spiritually through own strength. Instead, what God had taught Paul was to totally depend on God and seek His face alone for clear directions through the work of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 26:12–18). At least a portion of these truths which God revealed to Paul has been preserved for the churches in his epistle writings that are so important for our lives as well today.

Apostle Paul’s story gives us a wonderful view of God’s purpose in calling us as well, and this is to reveal His Son in us so that we may represent out Lord Jesus to the world. He reveals Christ to our hearts (v. 16) in order that He may display Christ in and through us to the world (vv. 16–23) and that God may be glorified through this display (v. 24). In this day and age when there is so much liberal theology and dilution of the gospel, we need to faithfully study the scriptures rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15) so that we can detect the toxins of false teachings and proclaim the truth of God’s wonderful salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in all walks of our lives.

Let us seek God’s face alone for clear directions!