“How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44).
When you serve, have you ever asked yourself: Whose approval are you seeking? Why are you doing what you are doing? Who are you doing it for? What is your real underlying motive for much of the apparently good stuff you do? Or, who are you trying to impress? You see, the answers could be quite revealing for, oftentimes, it’s amazing how often there is a huge disparity between our impure motives and the supposed goodness of our actions.
Think about it for a while. Things are not always what they seem. Motives drive everything we do. Motives can be pure or they can be evil. So we need to ask ourselves if what we are doing is for self? Is it to seek the approval of others? Is it because it is pleasing to God? These questions will help us to know if our motives are pure.
What if you weren’t seeking the approval of anyone but God? What sort of person would you be? Would you be the same as you are now? Many times in life, people do things to be seen or to seek the approval of others. This is notable in every sphere of life – in the home, the workplace, the church, in organizations, in the community and in the society at large.
When you serve, are you really trying to impress someone with your talent, beauty, or knowledge? Do you serve to mask your pain or boredom, to satisfy your curiosity, or to relieve your guilt? When you give generously, are you actually trying to enhance your reputation or be forgiven? Do you do things just to feel good or get a thrill? Do you do things out of a sense of obligation? Do you get involved to manipulate a response or take advantage of someone? In a nutshell, do you do whatever you do to get a reaction, pity, recognition, money or to stir up strife?
What exactly are your motives behind the things you do? Motives are extremely important in the eyes of God as well. God looks at things differently than people do. The Bible says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
In verse 10 of the first chapter of Galatians, Paul warns the new Christians of a certain problem they need to overcome. Paul tells them that they are trying to win the approval of men rather than God.
Why does this often happen to us today? The answer is that we are needy people. We need to be loved, to belong and to have value in this world. We are often misled into thinking that if we meet others’ approval we will then feel valuable.
You see, our eagerness to impress others is a mark of insecurity. We are not content with who we really are on the inside, so we construct a phony image on the outside. We are not confident of God’s acceptance and approval, and so we try to win the acceptance and approval of other people.
God, however, is the only one whose approval we need. The truth is we would worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they think of us. The only one we should want to impress is God.
So our first step is to address the motives of our heart. Do we want to possess the character traits of Jesus so that others will be pleased with us? Or do we want only to please God? After all, what is our foremost purpose for living? Our chief aim in life ought to be to love God with all our heart, mind and soul and strive to please Him in all that we do.
Life is too short to ignore or to be confused about why we are here. The more quickly we realize that life is not about us, but about God, the better it will be for us. If we act out of love, the world will come clamoring to our doorsteps, anxious to help in every way. We do not need to seek the approval of others. God’s approval is all that we need.
It is only that will make you happy as you know that you are right where the Lord wants you and you are in the centre of His will. Make it a rule to always do your best and do what is right, for when you do so you will win the approval of yourself and won’t be dependent on others.
So my friends, what is your answer to the question: “Whose approval are you seeking?” For one of the most important questions you will ever be asked is this: Whose approval do you want? Do you live for God’s approval or for the approval of people around you? Do you care what God thinks when he looks deep into your heart? Or do you only care what other people think when they see what you’re like on the outside?
Jesus didn’t put any stock in what other people happened to think of him. He said, “I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him” (John 5:41-43). Jesus didn’t try to impress people who were more impressed by showoffs than by the reality of the Living God.
Jesus then asked these people, “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44). That question cuts right to the heart of the matter. If you don’t put your faith in Jesus, or follow His way, the obstacle might not be lack of information about Jesus. More likely, you are preoccupied with what others think of you instead of what God sees in you. You can’t believe, says Jesus, if you are so eager for the approval of others that you don’t seek God’s approval.
So stop worrying about what others think of you, and start focusing on what God thinks of you. Don’t bother so much with how you appear to others, and instead invite God to look deep into your heart. Pray with the writer of Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
If you are worried about the approval of others, you become their prisoner. Don’t fall into this trap. Set yourself free by being your own standard-bearer. Recognize that the approval of God is much greater than the approval of man and that is all that matters. So thank Him for the approval that only He can give.
Remember those whose approval you seek the most give you the least.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
