Are you living to please man or please God?

That was the question this weekend at LifeChurch.tv, the second week in a series called “You Don’t Have What it Takes!” That is the same question I pose to you, dear reader. Are you living to please man or are you living to please God?

The first great theologian, the Apostle Paul, was often at odds with members of the Church.  Paul, who was unabashedly a complete jackhole prior to his conversion, was equally as unashamedly a fully devoted follower of Christ after his conversion.  His great faith, which I would call fearless, often rubbed people the wrong way….especially those who were in positions of power within the Church.  In his epistle to the Galatians, he put it this way:

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Those are some pretty powerful words.  In essence, Paul says that if you’re trying to please people, you’re not Christian.

Let that sink in a bit.

As if that wasn’t enough to toast your noggin, seeking the approval of men, instead of God, is a form of idolatry.  Idolatry is worshiping something in the place of God.  Seeking the approval of people can qualify.  Even Pharisees in Jesus’ time, who believed in Jesus, were guilty. John 12:42-43 puts it this way:

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

If I am honest with myself, I, too, fall victim to this trap.  I look for approval from my parents, my boss, my wife, my kids….I want to know that I’m “doing the right things” to “make them happy”.  But that’s not what it’s all about, is it?  It’s not about what others say about you, it’s about what God says about you.

What does God say about you?  In Psalm 139:14 God says you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In Psalm 17, God says you are “the apple of His eye.” In Deuteronomy 7:6, God tells calls you“His treasured possession.”

Why does it seem that this isn’t enough for us?  Why do we value what other people think of us more than what God thinks of us?  Why do we compromise ourselves to “fit in”?  Do we not want to be known as that “weird, religious guy”?  Or is it that just the word “Christian” has, due to some hypocritical and unscrupulous people, such a negative connotation that we’ll do whatever we can to avoid the label?  Let’s go back to Paul and what he told the church in Thessalonica:

You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.

So, let’s all try to follow Paul’s example, and dare to be Christ’s servant even if people think it’s weird.  Let us seek the approval of God over man, knowing in our hearts that what we do is right, and that other’s opinions of us really don’t mean anything.

As parents, we try to teach our kids that what other people say about them doesn’t matter, it only matters what they (and we) think.  Maybe as God’s children we should stop listening to what others say about us, and only worry what our Heavenly Father says about us.