Winning God's Approval

 One of the traps of Satan is to get us to live for the approval of other people. When we fall into this trap, we start doing the same things that the people of this world are doing, and we stop doing some of the things God directs us to do. This compromises our witness and our effectiveness, as a Christian.

Paul faced this choice in his life and ministry. (Galatians 1:10) He said that he was obviously not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. He understood that if pleasing people were his goal, he would not be Christ's servant. This is because Jesus is Lord, so we must do what He says, not matter what people want us to do.

Yes, I know we all want people to like us. I know that being rejected by those around us is one of the most difficult things that can happen to us. It can cause us to be depressed or angry. We think that their friendship will cause us happiness and fulfilment, but if we think that way, we are very wrong.

What we really need to do is to focus on pleasing the Lord and having His approval. After all, He is the Lord of the universe. He holds our life and eternity in His hands. If we live in a way that wins His approval, He gives us the joy of the Lord and lavishes His love upon us, which is far better than anything other people can do for us.

#NHBpatistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read Galatians 2-4.