We all want approval for our efforts, whether from a family member, a friend, a boss, or even a stranger. A “thank you,” or “a job well done,” can mean a tremendous boost to our whole day. Sadly, many Christians try too hard to please man at the expense of displeasing the Lord.
Too often our motives are misguided and we try to be popular with others more than seeking the approval from God. Pastor Steven Lawson offers us excellent advice here when he shared: “If you please God, it does not matter whom you displease. And if you displease Him, it does not matter whom you please.”1 I have found in my walk with the Lord that when I do things that please Jesus I get far more satisfaction and joy knowing that I am pleasing the Creator of the universe and that I am accumulating treasures in heaven.
We all want to be popular but there is a great danger that in doing so we draw attention to ourselves rather than to Jesus. For example, when you give to the needy, are you more concerned that others notice your good deed or that a real need has been met. As you read (Matthew 6:2-4) below ask yourself what’s your real motive when you give: “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” C. S. Lewis said it so well: “Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.”2
May I challenge you to examine your heart and motives to see how you can become more of a God pleaser and less of a man pleaser. The benefits of pleasing God, in my opinion, far outweigh our desire to seek the approval of man. For when you please God you put a smile on His face, you are acting according to His will, you experience the joy of the Lord, you help advance the kingdom of God, and most of all you bring glory to God!
1 The Kind of Preaching God Blesses Quotes by Steven J. Lawson (goodreads.com)
2 Quote by C.S. Lewis: “Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so tha…” (goodreads.com)