“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
One of our greatest idols in this day and age is our reputations. We care so much about what other people think of us that we build our lives around their approval. The most apparent setting for this is social media. We post only the things that make us look good, that make our lives seem glamorous, fun, and happy, even when they’re not. We crave “likes” more than we crave the approval of God.
I think the apostle Paul would probably take issue with that.
In this verse, Paul explains that he places no importance on the reputation he has with other people. He certainly doesn’t strive to make people hate him, but he doesn’t live his life based on other people’s approval. He lives for God’s approval.
That is understandable enough, what else would we expect from a man that we call an apostle? But the kicker is in the last sentence. He says, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
That should be convicting for many of us. Paul is saying that if we go through life seeking approval and recognition from people, we’re not following Christ. If we base our actions and decisions and language on what is pleasing and acceptable to society or our peer group rather than what is pleasing and acceptable to God, we’re not following Christ.
That should be a big wake up call.
The approval and praise of man is fleeting. The approval of God is forever. We should be living in order to win favor from God, not from man. We should be basing our actions and decisions around what God wants to see, not what our social media followers want to see.
Don’t let your reputation become an idol. Don’t let the opinion of man come before the opinion of God. His is the only one that matters in the end.
Prayer:
Father,
Help me not to worship the idol of the approval of men. Help me to live in a way that seeks your approval and yours alone.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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