Daily Devotional for Friday, December 6

Paul's Travels from Damascus

"Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days;' Galatians 1:18.

Some of the most frustrating moments in life occur when others are spreading lies or rumors about you. Sometimes those lies may originate in a truth, then one detail was altered that changed the entire situation. This happens frequently in the news media, in politics, in locker rooms, in marriages and even in our churches. People pick sides and decide which version of the story they believe only to cause a rift that should never have happened in the first place. In a time before video cameras and telephones, Paul was facing this situation with the churches of Galatia. He had preached the gospel and taught these churches, but someone had come along and changed the details of his story.

We know that Paul began his letter reminding these churches that the gospel that he taught and his apostleship came directly from God and not from man. This is further emphasized when he explained that he was preaching for years before he even met with the apostles, and when he did, he only stayed for fifteen days withPeter (verse 18). The trip toJerusalem fromDamascus could have been for many different reasons. Most scholars believe Paul was giving a report to Peter and James about the work he had been doing, providing accountability for his conversion and his proclamation of the gospel. Some believe he simply wanted to spend time with Peter to get to know him better and establish a working relationship. Whatever the reason for his trip, Paul was emphatic that he did not go to Jerusalem to present himself to all of the apostles to be commissioned by them (verses 19, 20). He wanted to squash all of the rumors that were circulating about him.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

May we never let hearsay and rumors ruin our opinion of a fellow church member or believer.

We must be firmly rooted in love, not easily swayed by those who seek to divide us.

Ashley Ridings