Please or Serve?
The verse that really jumped out at me from today’s reading (Galatians 1) was:
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.
If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
There are so many times when our choice really boils down to: Please men, or be a servant of Christ?
- “I know what I am supposed to say to this person right now, but if I do she might be upset, and maybe not even like me anymore.”
- “If I put this on my blog, phrased like this, really I’m exaggerating what’s going on in my ministry, but it will so impress people. And it’s sort of almost true.”
- “I think this is what Jesus wants me to do, but if I did it my parents would be so upset.”
- “If I preach what the Bible actually is saying in this passage, it’s possible that I could lose a bunch of people…”
Apparently, according to Galatians 1:10, trying to please men and being a servant of Christ are mutually exclusive. When I choose to please people, I am choosing to not serve Jesus.
Is there any way you’ve been choosing to please people and so not been serving Jesus?