Is someone glorifying God because of you?

Galatians 1:21-24

Change comes when a person enters into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and if you are reading this and saying it did not happen in my life, it would be very wise for you to follow the instructions given by Paul to the church at Corinth.  “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”  (2 Corinthians 13:5)

My relationship with Jesus began in a hotel room, and shortly after, the people I was hanging out with were different people, I no longer desired much of what had interested me before.  There was a hunger in me to read and study the Bible, to grasp some understanding of this relationship with Jesus Christ.  I was drawn to others who had like desires, and found myself dragging my wife to all kinds of church services, a year later Jan also ask Jesus into her life.  Now we did not have the same calling as Paul, who Jesus told Ananias the following: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16) Jan and I both were members of Baptist churches, but church membership without a relationship with Christ, is not a calling into ministry.  My calling to fulltime Christian service was to masquerade as a salesperson and Jan as a homemaker, but all who are in Christ are called into full time Christian service, as was Paul.

In that Paul needed to renew his mind and remove all the rules of religious man (so will you) from his mind, Jesus took him into Arabia for three years; it must have been a great time being trained by the Lord in truth, not in religious tradition.  After three years, Paul went to see Peter in Jerusalem and also met James the Lord’s brother, then went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.  He began to teach Christ raised and that redemption came not from obeying rituals but through the cross, and the blood of Jesus, which covers all sin.

Verses 22-24 have such a sweet message; “And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.”  My prayer is that your life and ministry are having someone glorifying God because of you.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice