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. But have you ever thought how fickle man’s approval is and how it is often based on doing things that we think others might like. And sadly, how often do we seek man’s approval at the expense of pleasing our heavenly Father.
For example, just listen to the words of Nancy Leigh DeMoss: “Now I certainly had no intention of lying on the form, but I was trying to think of a creative way to make homemaker sound more important. Then the thought struck me: I am more concerned about the opinion of the individual who will read this questionnaire than I am about the approval of the One who has called me to be a homemaker. I had succumbed to worldly thinking rather than viewing my profession as the Bible portrays it—a high calling from God.”1
My friends, it is so important to check our motives whenever we partake of a particular activity to see if we are doing it to please people or to please and glorify God. Standing up for truth and the gospel will often not get you the approval of society, but it will get us something far more precious – the approval of Jesus!
One of my favorite portions of Scripture is the parable of the talents from (Matthew 25:14-30). If you remember in the parable we read: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” (Matthew 25:14-15). And later in the parable we read, what I consider, one of the most exciting accolades in the Bible that God can confirm on an individual: “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Matthew 25:20-21).
What really excites me here is that when we are faithful to Jesus, not only does He shower us with His approval, but He allows us to enter into the joy of our Lord.
And I can tell you from first-hand experience that there is absolutely nothing more wonderful than living in and experiencing the joy of the Lord! Yes, getting the approval of man is nice, and may bring one momentary happiness, but it is so fleeting and often it comes at the expense, when our motive isn’t right, of displeasing Jesus.
I don’t know about you but gaining the approval of the Lord trumps getting the approval of man every time. So, may I leave you with a challenge verse that is guaranteed to not only gain the approval of the Lord but to bring with it unspeakable joy: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Before doing the Work, Check the Altar. (by m.r. neveu)
Topic: Check your private motives at the door before trying to do God’s work. Curt’s devotional is about approval. It is also about the hidden altar where we quietly decide whether we are serving Christ or auditioning for applause from our peanut gallery focus group, and those we may want to catch the eye/ear of.
Curt’s article contrasts fickle human approval with the durable approval of Christ, especially through the Parable of the Talents and 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Curt Blattman’s essay asks a deceptively simple question: Whose approval are we actually seeking when we do good things? Not what do we say we are doing, not what ministry label we slap on the brochure, not how many spiritual hashtags we can duct-tape to the effort, but what is really sitting in the engine room of the soul: obedience to God or hunger for human applause?
That is the whole brutal little audit. And naturally, it is uncomfortable, because motives are where respectable sins wear cologne.
By the number we go.
1. God does not merely inspect the work; He weighs the motive. (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Samuel 16:7)
Paul’s command in 1 Corinthians 10:31 is not limited to formal ministry, church service, sermons, worship teams, mission trips, or anything printed on a tri-fold bulletin from 1998. Paul says if we eat, drink, or do anything else, it must be done for the glory of God.
That means God is not impressed by religious packaging if the contents are spoiled. A person may do “God’s work” while quietly seeking man’s approval, social standing, emotional validation, or the seductive little narcotic called recognition.
And yes, it is possible to serve the Lord while secretly hoping someone notices how wonderfully humble we are. Humanity, as usual, finds new ways to trip over its own halo.
The Lord told Samuel that man looks at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. That should terrify every performer and comfort every faithful servant who labors unseen. The public sees the action. God sees the altar beneath it.
Apologetic edge: Christianity does not merely ask whether the deed was useful. It asks whether the deed was surrendered. A good work done for self-glory is still a transaction with the ego. A good work done for God’s glory becomes worship.
________________________________________
2. Human approval is unstable currency. God’s approval is eternal wealth. (Galatians 1:10; Matthew 6:1)
Paul cuts the matter cleanly in Galatians 1:10. If he were still trying to please people, he would not be a servant of Christ. That is not soft devotional language. That is a blade.
Human approval is fickle. It praises you today, forgets you tomorrow, and cancels you by Thursday because you used the wrong adjective in a room full of professional grievance farmers. Seeking human approval as the fuel for spiritual work is like building a cathedral on pudding. Structurally bold, but doomed.
Jesus also warns in Matthew 6:1 not to practice righteousness before others for the purpose of being seen by them. That does not mean all visible service is wrong. It means visibility must never become the point. There is a difference between letting your light shine and hiring a spotlight crew.
The approval of man gives momentary emotional sugar. The approval of God gives joy rooted in obedience. Curt’s use of the Parable of the Talents presses this point beautifully. The faithful servant is not rewarded because he marketed himself well. He is welcomed because he was faithful with what was entrusted to him.
Apologetic edge: The Christian life is not a campaign for admiration. It is stewardship under the eye of the Master. The servant’s highest reward is not applause from the room, but the voice of the Lord saying, “Well done.”
________________________________________
3. Faithfulness is not proven by applause. It is proven by obedience when applause disappears. (Matthew 25:14–30; Colossians 3:23–24)
The Parable of the Talents is not a motivational poster about productivity. It is a kingdom audit. The servants are entrusted with resources, opportunity, responsibility, and time. The question is not, “Did people admire them?” The question is, “Were they faithful to the master?”
That distinction matters. A person may be celebrated and still be disobedient. Another may be ignored and still be deeply faithful. Heaven’s accounting system is apparently not impressed by likes, titles, committee praise, or that one church member who always says, “You have such a servant’s heart,” while handing you more unpaid labor.
Colossians 3:23–24 makes the standard plain: work heartily as for the Lord, not for men, because the inheritance comes from the Lord. That transforms every assignment. Teaching, writing, caregiving, preaching, cleaning, parenting, mentoring, correcting, sacrificing, giving, building, enduring; all of it becomes holy when done before God.
And that is where motive-checking becomes essential. Before we do “God’s work,” we must ask:
• Am I doing this because Christ called me, or because I need to be seen?
• Am I serving the people, or using the people as witnesses to my virtue?
• Would I still do this faithfully if no one thanked me?
• Would I still obey if the only applause came from heaven?
That last question is where the fraud burns off.
Apologetic edge: Real Christian service begins when the ego stops demanding a receipt.
________________________________________
Conclusion (long-winded tonite)
Curt’s article is a call to spiritual honesty. Not dramatic guilt. Not fake humility. Not crawling around like a worm because someone once preached that confidence is pride wearing shoes.
No. This is cleaner than that. The issue is alignment.
If the work is God’s, then the motive must be God’s. If the calling comes from Christ, the approval that matters most must come from Christ. Human encouragement is a gift, and sometimes a needed one. But it must never become the throne.
Once applause becomes the master, service becomes theater.
So yes. Before doing God’s work, we check our private motives at the door. Better yet, we drag them into the light, let Scripture cross-examine them, and allow the Holy Spirit to burn away whatever smells too much like self-promotion.
Because the goal is not to be admired. The goal is to be faithful.
And if, at the end of all the noise, the Lord says, “Well done,” then every lesser applause can take a number and sit quietly in the back.
If the work is for God, stop passing the offering plate to your own ego.