Christ Leads The Way

“For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10

First, I’d like to give a shout out to all of you. Thank you to everyone for being so kind and taking the time and effort to show your love and support. You truly bless my life.

I don’t know about you specifically, but I know that we all at times have expectations placed upon us – that are sometimes too high for anyone to achieve.

Children have expectations of their parents. Parents expect things of their children. Employers have certain expectations of their workers. And Christ has expectations of every believer.

I have come to learn that nobody can be pleased all the time. And most people can’t be pleased some of the time. That’s why I no longer care to try to please people.

As Paul similarly stated when he wrote to the church in Galatia, I can’t please people and be a servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10). It’s God who I’ll have to stand before in the judgment.

He’s the only one with a heaven or hell to put anyone in, anyway. Trying to please people is tiring. And any efforts in doing so are futile.

Take for instance: there are some family members and friends in my life who will readily tell me that everything doesn’t have to relate back to God and the Bible and that I talk about God too much.

On the other hand, I have people in my life who encourage me to read, study, pray, and learn more.

I lean toward the latter of the two.

However, it can be taxing hearing both sides – especially when you are doing your best to live how God wants you to live. So, my goal is to please the Lord – and Him, alone.

When we serve God and do what’s right in His sight, everything else falls into place, anyway.

I’ll always choose the side of the Lord, no matter who or what tries to pull me away. Some people say I’m too conservative in my beliefs.

But, I’d much rather be too conservative than too liberal. I’d much rather have more principles than less (or none, for that matter). And I’d much rather follow the Bible and the words of Christ than to follow the ways of the world.

There’s a war for my soul (and yours, too), and I often feel I’m being pulled to try to leave my Lord. That’s what Satan does as he roams the earth seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8; John 10:10).

He did it to Job (Job 1:9-11), he did it to Peter (Matt. 26:69-75), and he did it to Jesus (Matt. 4: 1-11). I’m not exempt and neither are you.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19

And it’s no laughing matter. Christ came to save the world from the death and destruction that sin brings.

The gift of His life and His love is offered to all. And just like with any gift, it’s no use to you if you don’t grab hold and make use of it. Then, it’s just like the dusty Bible on the table that never gets opened. We can’t be abundantly blessed by the words of the Lord if we never hear or read them.

God has given us instructions on how to receive salvation from eternal damnation and to life eternal. The only way that we can have that gift is if we do all that God has commanded us – just like Noah did when he and his family were saved (Gen. 6:22).

He’s commanded that we believe in Jesus as Lord (Mark 16:16), confess His name before men (Matt. 10:32), repent of our sins (Luke 13:3), be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38), and live a faithful life in service to Him (Revelation 2:10).

It’s more than just one or a combination of those things. God requires our all and our full obedience to Him.

I’m striving to please God and to win His favor. I hope that you are, too.

Besides, people-pleasing is so yesterday.

Photo by Gonzalo Facello on Pexels.com