“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”
Galatians 1:10
Our church has a student building on Texas Highway 110. The teenagers’ gathering place is called The 110 Center. I always thought it was named for the highway. Last month our pastor preached from Galatians and told us that the students chose the name for both Galatians 1:10 and the highway. Clever!
What a great verse to remind our students that being a servant of Christ means putting Him first. We all strive to please men, but teens seem to need the approval of their peers more than anyone. Hopefully Galatians 1:10 will stick in their minds as they make difficult choices in life.
We adults also try to please our peers, bosses, mates, and children. There is a bit of teenager in each of us. Some of us have a personality that naturally seeks favor from others. We are people pleasers. We need to be aware of the pitfalls of seeking the endorsement of others.
Our first allegiance should be to our Lord, Jesus Christ. I have a statement in the front of my Bible: Success in life is seeking God’s will and doing it. God has a plan for each of us. That plan includes work for us to do for Him. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Ephesians 2:10.
Are you a seeker? Do you desire to find God’s will for your life? Don your servant’s uniform and listen to voice of the Holy Spirit. He will guide you into God’s service.
Henry Blackaby’s suggestions in his Bible study, Experiencing God have greatly influenced me. He teaches that God is always at work around us and that He invites us to become involved with him in his work. He believes that God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal to us what He wants us to do.
Blackaby says that we may have periods of crisis and need to make major adjustments in our lives to follow God’s will. The good news is that when we obey God and join Him in His work, we come to know Him.
Maybe God has a new job for you next year. Maybe He wants you to be refreshed and find joy in the job you are performing. Get a head start and pray about your service. Christ needs servants who not only endeavor to please Him, but find joy in their service.
Dear Father, Help us seek to please Christ next year. Give us a servant’s heart for 2012.
Janice Yandell
Henry T. Blackaby & Claude V. King`, Experiencing God Knowing and Doing the Will of God, 3rd ed. (Nashville: LifeWay, 1993).
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