Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭7‬
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Motives matter. Many times, we assess the motives of others and try to determine why they said what they said or did what they did. This unfortunately can get us into trouble because we assume things that aren’t always true. Conversely, assessing our own motives can be equally tricky, because we sometimes allow sin into our hearts and justify it.

Paul asks some important questions here about motives: Whose approval do I seek by my actions (inactions)? Who am I trying to please? If we are truly introspectively honest, these are tough questions to deal with at times. Why? Because we are selfish by nature and we like to be popular.

However, with the help of God’s Spirit and our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can accurately assess our motives. Paul addresses what motives he has for his preaching and his modeling of following Jesus. He is motivated by and seeks the approval of God.

He also relates how he got his commission to preach the gospel as an Apostle: he received his gospel by revelation from Jesus. In a different method than the other Apostles (who received the gospel from Christ as they followed him before his crucifixion and in his visit to them after his resurrection), Paul was directly called out and appointed by the voice of Jesus and a bright, blinding light. He was rendered blind by scales being put on his eyes. And in his miracle shortly thereafter, a man of God removed the scales from Paul’s eyes (Acts 9). And just like his physical sight was restored, his spiritual sight was given to him by Jesus through revelation.

I talk to many people today who are confused and trying to hear from God on many issues. They don’t seem to have a strong relationship with God and wonder why?

Paul’s experience, calling, and motives serve as a great example for us. He was fallen in a life of sin, needed the help of a Savior, and he was blinded by this sin and needed supernatural help to see spiritually what was true and right.

We also need the Spirit of God to help us keep our motives pure and our eyesight true, spiritually.

Lord, thank you for the example of how you turned around Paul’s life and used him for your purposes. You showed him his spiritual blindness and, by your Spirit, gave him new birth and new eyesight to follow you. Then you revealed yourself to him. May it also be said of us.