As believers struggled through life battling the flesh, they sometimes fall privy to the attacks of the enemy. They may become misled in doctrine by wrongful influences or are overcome by hurt, fear, anxiety or sorrow. At these times, God will work to bring them back to himself. If they are reading the scriptures, he will speak to them through his word. However many times those who have fallen to the enemies' attacks fail to seek his face. They continue to be overcome and misled by the influences upon their hearts. It is then that The Lord begins to use people to bring them back to himself. He does this because in the midst of all the voices of influence upon the heart, an audible voice sounds more clearly as a trumpet sounding in the midst of the confusion of battle. The audible voice God uses may be a friend, spouse, pastor or parent.
In this same manner, Paul reaches out to the Galatians who are living in error. You would think that his apostleship alone should be enough to lead them back, but it could not. If a person is deceived to the point of resisting God, they can just as easily resist the earthly voice. You also would think that Paul reminding them of doctrinal teachings should turn them from error, but again it alone is not enough. The greatest influence Paul has to turn the Galatians back to God is the love relationship that they have between each other. He reminds them of their love for him and presses upon them his love and concern for them. He is not attacking them so as to overcome and bring them back: he is trying to love them back.
Are there people that you know who are away from God? There are enough people in the world trying to push, shame, badger or punish them in order to get them to get right with God. Why don't you decide to be one of the few who will try to love them back. Your love will make the message of your voice be heard clearly and more apt to be received.
But speaking the truth in love... Ephesians 4:15
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