The love and commitment
between Paul the apostle and the church members at Galatia was so
strong at one point that no physical malady would ever separate them.
Paul the apostle has been referring to the love the people of Galatia
had for him before the false teaching Judaizers had infiltrated the
gospel of the grace of God. Because of today's verse, many believe
that Paul the apostle had trouble with his eyes, and his trouble was
quite possibly from His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Whatever it was, it would not prevent the gospel of the grace of God
being shared. Paul said in chapter four and verse fifteen:
Where
is then the blessedness you spake of? for I bear you record, that, if
[it had been] possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and
have given them to me.
Paul
just wrote to the Galatians by saying, “And
my temptation which was in my flesh you despised not, nor rejected;
but received me as an angel of God, [even] as Christ Jesus.” Now
Paul wants to know, “Where is then the blessedness you
spoke of?” In today's terms we
might say, “What happened to the love?” We can almost hear the
dismay in Paul's words as he wonders what changed the way the church
members appreciated him. Paul went from not being despised nor
rejected and as an angel and like unto Jesus Christ to not blessed at
all. Once again we see the affect of the false teaching when it is
introduced.
Paul
then wrote, “for I bear you record, that, if it had been
possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given
them to me.” Now that's
commitment! This verse indicates to us that there was possibly
something wrong with Paul's eyes. We can see in Acts chapter nine
where Paul was confronted by Jesus and became a Christian. He also
was blinded by the light that appeared. Later in that chapter the
scales fell from his eyes as Ananias prayed for him. Also, there is a
reference in Galatians chapter six and verse eleven where Paul wrote:
You see how large a
letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
Paul the
apostle usually dictated his letters and then wrote his own greeting
at the end of them. This phrase actually means that Paul wrote with
“large letters” which might be another indicator that his eyes
were defective. Whichever the case, the love of the Galatians was so
strong for Paul at one time that they would have plucked out their
own eyes and given them to him if it would help him.
Do we
have anyone in our lives who cares for us in the manner of the
Galatians? Are there people in the world who so appreciate our
sharing of the gospel with them that if it were possible to help us
physically they would give up their own health for ours? Perhaps we
can identify with Paul as he feels the acceptance of a group of
people one moment and the rejection of them the next. Sharing the
gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ is not an easy task. Sometimes it
is appreciated, and other times it's as if we have the plague. Our
question today should center around our personal commitment to the
gospel regardless of our recipient's reaction. Can we spread the
gospel without regard to being blessed or not? That is Paul's
situation, and he chose to share Jesus no matter what the reaction
would be.
Next time we will see the initial devotion that the Galatians had for
Paul, so read ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download
to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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