Who Are You Pleasing?
If you are anything like me, making a decision that might disappoint someone you love is the hardest thing you could do. It would be so much easier if I had an email from God telling me exactly what He wanted me to do. That way I would know for sure that I was making the right decisions. Luckily, we do have scripture to help us decide, but not every decision is so black and white, sin or faithfulness. What then are we to do?
Galatians 1:10 tells us, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still seeking to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” For those of us who are people pleasers, this is a harsh truth. Still, we must try to live every moment of our lives with the fact that we are God’s servant always in the front of our minds. Our choices are not our own. Our lives belong to the Lord. Sometimes the choices we make will disappoint those around us, but we should always strive to seek God’s approval. As Peter said in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than men.”
God never promised us a life of ease, void of disappointment. He promised to stand with us through it all though. In times of turmoil, many of us turn to the 23rd Psalm. The line, “Yeah, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil,” has brought comfort to millions. Most of us do not know that this valley is a real place. Located parallel to the Jordan River, it lies south of Jericho. This is where the story of the Good Samaritan takes place. Some places are so narrow that sheep do not even have room to turn around. Wild dogs lurk in the nooks and crannies and wait for an animal to lose its footing on the crumbly ground. It literally is a valley of death. Sometimes it feels like the choices we make lead us directly into the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Yet, even here, we have nothing to fear.
When we choose to please the people around us, we may find ourselves in pleasant fields with no worries, but we cannot decide based on what we see. To live to please others – or even ourselves – leads to troubles we could not foresee. Living for Jesus make take us places we are afraid to go but we are never alone. You see, on the other side of the Valley of the Shadow of death lies life. This is where God gives the victory – a banquet in the presence of our enemies, oil for our head, goodness and love. Whatever you face today and tomorrow, remember you have a Good Shepherd to guide you. Decide according to His word… even if it disappoints the people you care about.
(Written by Keegan Harkins,)
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