“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