Daily Devotion 22 January 2026

Abide in Me, and I in you. John 15: 4

READING: Galatians 1: 11-24

Paul is writing to the Galatian church, where some persons have tried to insist that the members adopt certain Jewish customs and festivals and exclude non-Jews. They are questioning the validity of Paul’s teachings. In response, Paul tells them that what he believes and preaches comes from God alone.

In support of this, he tells them his story, how, as an important Pharisee, he was the prime persecutor of the early Christians. And how Jesus met with him on the road to Damascus, and how he followed Jesus since then. But what he carefully explains is that he did not get his ideas and his beliefs from other followers of Jesus, he actually avoided meeting them after his conversion, and spent many years in isolated places, learning only by revelation from Jesus Himself (vs 17-23).

He does not tell us exactly how Jesus spoke to him, either on that road to Damascus, or in the years that followed, but he offers two proofs of the validity of his beliefs. Firstly, how changed he was, instantly and forever. From being a hater of Christians, he became a preacher and evangelist himself. And secondly, he offers as proof of the truth of his teachings, that they are the same beliefs as those of the disciples who had lived and worked with Jesus, because they came directly from God Himself, through Jesus.

Paul is warning us even today, as he did those people in Galatia, that Jesus alone should be our compass in life. Of course, we know that Paul worked closely with the other Christians at the time, travelling with several as companions, and depending on the loving support and prayers of fellow believers. But he did not allow them to influence his beliefs, nor complicate his relationship with Jesus.

Church services, discussion and fellowship with other Christians, are all good ways in which we can deepen our faith and receive the human companionship and support that is part of a healthy life. But we cannot allow the influence of others to get in the way of our personal relationship with God, through Jesus. The time that we spend, in prayer or meditation, with our Lord, as we “abide in Him”, is when we, like Paul, learn His way. That is the most important thing.

Prayer

Jesus, my Lord, come and dwell within me. In silence, O God, I listen for your voice. Teach me Your ways. Amen