People Pleasing
"The greatest kindness you could ever do for someone is telling them the truth about Jesus."
Galations 1:10 (NIV)
“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."
Reflection
I thrive on verbal appreciation from the people around me. It’s a wonderful feeling when I know something I did pleased the recipient, especially if it’s a loved one. I find myself getting frustrated and hurt if I don’t receive some type of verbal affirmation. In those moments, I am a servant of two masters: God and people. Paul is very clear in today’s verse about serving one or the other when he writes, “If I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of Christ” (verse 10).
One of the ways we often choose pleasing people over serving Christ is when we neglect sharing the gospel. To some people, the gospel is intrinsically offensive. Simply suggesting there is such a thing as "absolute truth" will get you canceled in today's culture. And sharing that the only way to receive eternal life is to believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will do the same. In fact, these things got Jesus canceled in His culture, too.
Unfortunately, one day there will be people separated from God’s presence forever because they chose to follow their own truth instead of the truth. No one wants to hear that his choices have eternal consequences, but they do. The good news is that there is the promise of eternal life with Christ! This is the message we bring when we share the gospel with others, and people will either accept it as good news or reject it (and sometimes even us for believing it).
The fear of rejection is possibly the largest hindrance to serving Christ. It leads us to try to please people, which makes us hesitate to tell them about what Jesus is doing in our lives.
The great tragedy is that choosing people-pleasing over serving Christ can lead to eternal consequences. If we are trying to please people, we often won’t have difficult conversations with them about faith in Jesus. This hinders us and the very person we are trying to please; we will miss out on the opportunity to be used by God as an instrument of transformation and the other person will miss out on the greatest news of all time, that there is a way back to right relationship with God.
When we are called to be servants of Christ, we are called to share His good news. The greatest kindness you could ever do for someone is telling them the truth about Jesus.
Action Steps
Challenge yourself to share what God has done for you with one person this week.
Prayer
Jehovah Jireh, help me to trust and know in my soul that You are enough. When I am tempted to worry about what others think of me, help me hold fast to what You say about me. Remind me You created me on purpose for Your purpose. Give me the courage to love others the way You love them. Amen.
For Further Study
Matthew 6:24 and John 14:6
“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."
Reflection
I thrive on verbal appreciation from the people around me. It’s a wonderful feeling when I know something I did pleased the recipient, especially if it’s a loved one. I find myself getting frustrated and hurt if I don’t receive some type of verbal affirmation. In those moments, I am a servant of two masters: God and people. Paul is very clear in today’s verse about serving one or the other when he writes, “If I were still trying to please people I would not be a servant of Christ” (verse 10).
One of the ways we often choose pleasing people over serving Christ is when we neglect sharing the gospel. To some people, the gospel is intrinsically offensive. Simply suggesting there is such a thing as "absolute truth" will get you canceled in today's culture. And sharing that the only way to receive eternal life is to believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will do the same. In fact, these things got Jesus canceled in His culture, too.
Unfortunately, one day there will be people separated from God’s presence forever because they chose to follow their own truth instead of the truth. No one wants to hear that his choices have eternal consequences, but they do. The good news is that there is the promise of eternal life with Christ! This is the message we bring when we share the gospel with others, and people will either accept it as good news or reject it (and sometimes even us for believing it).
The fear of rejection is possibly the largest hindrance to serving Christ. It leads us to try to please people, which makes us hesitate to tell them about what Jesus is doing in our lives.
The great tragedy is that choosing people-pleasing over serving Christ can lead to eternal consequences. If we are trying to please people, we often won’t have difficult conversations with them about faith in Jesus. This hinders us and the very person we are trying to please; we will miss out on the opportunity to be used by God as an instrument of transformation and the other person will miss out on the greatest news of all time, that there is a way back to right relationship with God.
When we are called to be servants of Christ, we are called to share His good news. The greatest kindness you could ever do for someone is telling them the truth about Jesus.
Action Steps
Challenge yourself to share what God has done for you with one person this week.
Prayer
Jehovah Jireh, help me to trust and know in my soul that You are enough. When I am tempted to worry about what others think of me, help me hold fast to what You say about me. Remind me You created me on purpose for Your purpose. Give me the courage to love others the way You love them. Amen.
For Further Study
Matthew 6:24 and John 14:6
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