Author: Brian Burdett

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10

Who are you trying to please? Is it God or someone else? Whose opinion about you affects you most deeply? Is it that of Lord Jesus or of relative, friend, or colleague? Most people want to please God and please other people. That’s certainly reasonable. It makes life fairly pleasant and easy as long as we can do both. But we can’t always do both. At certain key moments, every follower of Jesus must choose between pleasing God or a dear friend, disappointing God or a beloved relative, or offending God or an influential person in their life. What will you do? Whom will you choose? Who have you chosen in the past?

Pleasing God involves making sacrifices, speaking truth, practicing self-denial, and obeying those commands of Jesus that run counter to our culture. That makes these decision points inevitable in our lives. If you want to handle them well and please God in those moments, start preparing now. Don’t pretend the conflict won’t happen. Prepare spiritually and commit yourself to please God. Think about how the conflicts could arise. Prioritize spending time with God in His Word, in prayer, and meditation so you’ll know what you must do in the moment. Draw nearer to God so that He can strengthen you to make a hard decision and comfort you when you pay the price of disappointment, disapproval, or rejection for choosing Him.

None of this means you should make a point of annoying other people. Far from it! Scripture commands us to glorify God in all that we do and to live in peace with everyone to the greatest extent we possibly can. But know that there will be times of decision. Times of relational sacrifice. Times where people will be upset with you and where your only comfort will be the approval of God in Heaven. Prepare yourself by living a life of obedience to God day in and day out. Come to know His pleasure and approval. Seek that first and foremost. #FollowJesus

“You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.” – Haggai 1:9

God’s people had endured a long season of working hard without being able to get ahead. Everything they tried turned into nothing. Nothing was ever enough. Money came and went. Every repair was followed by another breakdown. Then God explained why. Their priorities had been wrong for years. They’d been focused more on themselves, their homes, their businesses, and their needs than on God. Their houses were nice while God’s Temple was still in ruins. They’d given God the leftovers of their time, energy, and effort which didn’t amount to much. This was the root of their long season of bitter dissatisfaction.

This can still happen to God’s people today. We may endure long seasons of hard work with little to show for it. We struggle but can’t get ahead. We earn more but the bills increase faster. We may experience years of dissatisfaction and frustration. In those times, it’s helpful to examine our priorities. Are we putting God first in our lives? What does our calendar say about that? What does our bank account say about that? Have we made God’s Kingdom our top priority or our own kingdom?

Jesus promised that if we prioritize God’s Kingdom, seeking it first and pursuing righteousness in our lives, then our basic needs will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33). Are you living your life that way? If you find your self in a long dry season where hard work is mostly turning into dust, spend time talking to God about your priorities. You may discover that you’ve put the wrong person first. #FollowJesus

“This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.” – Romans 15:22

It’s very common to have good plans, intentions, and desires but never get around to doing them. The question each person must ask is why? For Paul, his good intentions to visit the Christians in Rome were long-delayed because of his ongoing calling from God to preach Jesus in places where His name had never been preached. That was a good reason for Paul to keep delaying his good intentions! Paul clearly understood God’s calling on his life and he prioritized that.

If you struggle to accomplish the things you’d like to do, think about why that is? Is it because you’re doing something better and more important? Or is it because you aren’t managing your time and priorities well? We all have 168 hours in each week and 52 weeks in each year. Most of us have more things we’d like to do than we have time to do them. So, we must prioritize how we use our time. If we aren’t intentional about our priorities, we’ll still prioritize but unintentionally. Most people don’t intentionally prioritize watching too much TV, playing video games too long, or scrolling their phones for hours. That’s just what happens when we’re unintentional about our priorities.

So, what are your priorities? Do you know what God has called you to do? If you have clarity about God’s will and calling on your life, prioritize that! It’s much easier to say “Yes” to what’s most important and to graciously say “No” to lesser priorities when you know what’s most important for you to do. If you aren’t yet clear on that, prioritize spending time with God praying, reading and meditating on His Word, and reflecting on what He’s gifted and prepared you to do. Make following Jesus more closely your #1 priority. #FollowJesus

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” – Romans 15:1

The Gospel tells us that the eternal and infinitely powerful Son of God stepped into our world to rescue us from our sins because we couldn’t rescue ourselves. Jesus was perfect in sinlessness, in holiness, in righteousness, in goodness, and in power. He was perfectly strong in every way that matters. And He sacrificed Himself on a cross for us, who are spiritually and morally weak, sinful, unholy, and unrighteous. Jesus did this as an act of grace and for the glory of God the Father. The cross wasn’t to please Himself. Jesus went to the cross out of His gracious love for the weak.

Because Jesus did that for us, we’re called to show the same Christ-like grace and patience toward those who are spiritually, physically, or emotionally weaker. Whatever it exactly means to be “stronger” and “weaker”, it is essential for Christians to use whatever strength they have in love and patience toward those who are weaker. That doesn’t mean accepting, ignoring, or tolerating sin but it does mean bearing with people struggling to make the changes expected for those made new in Jesus Christ.

Whatever strength you may have (in knowledge, wisdom, holiness, spirituality, education, experience, etc.) shouldn’t be a source of pride or power over others. Your strength shouldn’t be the basis for condemning and mistreating fellow believers. It’s a gift to be used for patiently, lovingly building up those who are not yet strong in Jesus Christ. If you’re blessed with strength, give thanks for that strength and use it like Jesus to bless those who don’t yet have that same strength. #FollowJesus

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” – Daniel 6:10

How did Daniel respond when it became law that anyone who prayed to a god other than the king would be executed? He went home and prayed to God like he did every day! He prayed in front of an open window, praising God. Would you have the courage to do the same???

Daniel prayed and gave thanks to God despite knowing his life was in danger. He gave thanks to God on a day that would have terrified and paralyzed many. Daniel didn’t hesitate. He didn’t litigate. He didn’t protest about his rights because he had none. He didn’t equivocate. He didn’t hide himself. Daniel prayed to God and gave thanks the same way he always had. What a beautiful example of steadfast faith!

If that day were to come in your life, are you prepared to be like Daniel and keep praying to God? Is your faith in God and love for Him sufficiently strong that you would keep praying, keep worshipping, and keep giving thanks to God no matter the cost? Consider all that God has done for you in Jesus Christ. Consider all that God is. Then make your decision to worship God no matter what happens. Make that decision today while things are easy and worship is safe. #FollowJesus