John 12:43 – For they loved praise from men more than praise from God
Galatians 1:10 – For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.
One thing that sometimes hinders me personally and in ministry is my desire to please everyone. For some reason it’s something that I always struggle with. I think a lot of people do. However, the more I get to know God and grow in my faith, the more I realize that there is no place for people pleasing if you want to excel in your walk with Christ and in your ministry.
The two verses I shared at the top of the page are always my go to verses when I feel that I’m caught in the trap of worrying about what everyone else thinks and comparing myself to them. Jesus said the Pharisees wouldn’t believe in Him because they were worried they would be banned from the synagogue. Paul says in Galatians that he’s not trying to please people, if he was, he wouldn’t be a slave of Christ. These two verses always remind me that our effectiveness in ministry is greatly decreased if we are always trying to measure up to everyone else’s expectations instead of God’s. A constant striving to be everything to everybody is a burden that no one can bear and it will eventually lead to fatigue and burnout. I’ve also found that my striving to please everyone and do it all usually comes from a place of insecurity and pride because I’m more concerned with what I can do as opposed to focusing on what Jesus has already done.
Lately, I’ve been learning to say no to more and more things. As God continues to show me a clearer picture of my calling and gifting, I am working to focus in on that more and more, and letting other things go and letting someone else do them. Let’s challenge ourselves this week to live with an effort to please God over our peers. This will give us freedom to take on things that God has called us to do, but it may give even more freedom in the fact that we can let go of some things that God doesn’t want us to do that we may have been doing simply to get the praise of men.