I admit it.
I'm a people pleaser.
It bothers me if I think someone doesn't like me or understand what I do. I analyze past conversations trying to figure out where I said the wrong thing. I remember a flippant comment and wonder what was really meant by it. Quiet people can unnerve me because I don't know what they're thinking--are they approving or not?
But lately, God's been telling me to do things just for Him. He says, "Don't worry about what anyone else will think. Make it an offering to Me." I've tried, but old habits die hard. Positive feedback spurs me on. I know when I've pleased people. But how do I know when I've pleased God?
I really want to get this lesson, because it will be so freeing if I do. Can you imagine? NEVER worrying about what other people think? Doing things purely for the glory of God, not giving thought to the perceptions of others. Is that possible? Or am I just a raving egomaniac assuming those around me HAVE any sort of opinion of me? Maybe I think too much about everything (if my husband were looking over my shoulder right now, he'd be screaming, "AMEN, SISTER!!"). More importantly, I need to get this learned so God is in His proper place in my life. He needs to be at the top. Is He number one if I worry about the impressions of people?
I like the praise of others, probably too much or God wouldn't be impressing this on me now. I've had Galatians 1:10 memorized for years ("Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."), yet I still struggle with this. I want to seek His praise more than the praise of men, but how can I know if I please God? DOES He let us know? Is it a tricky thing because if I know I've pleased Him, I might exalt myself? Am I like the man who won a medal for being the most humble in his town but ended up getting it taken it away because he wore it too much? Is it better for us to obey and persevere without knowing if we've made God smile? Is that the real sacrifice on our part, living our life to please Him without knowing if we have?
I need some help here. Got any ideas? What do you think?
7 comments:
I honestly don't know why you give this much thought. Anyone who knows you, knows you are always thinking "what would God have me do?" And as long as you're living your life accordingly.....do you have to worry if you're pleasing God? You have to know God smiles upon you, doesn't he tell you this every time someone comes to you seeking Godly wisdom? I think you get His smiles more than you give your self credit. Good blog though...very thought provoking for the rest of us!
I don't like to over-simplify things, but I think it's pretty easy to know when we've pleased God. We either have a sense of peace, or we don't, right? If we're listening for that still, small voice, we will hear "well, done..." along with, "Now, there's something else I want you to work on." I think there are always areas in which we are doing well, and other areas in which we can do better. But God knows we can't focus on everything at once, so He will lead us along as we are ready.
Our own insecurities sometimes get in the way of hearing God's "pleased" voice, His positive words of encouragement. We are so steeped in the knowledge that we're sinners that sometimes we don't allow ourselves to feel and experience the Godly joy of living in His will. I find that when I'm asking the question "How do I know when I'm pleasing God," it's because I'm not allowing myself to hear God's encouraging voice, I am only hearing his voice of judgment. Sometimes we need to strip away the filters and allow ourselves to feel God's comforting hand upon us, to actually experience the grace and love we are always talking about.
Just my two cents! Hope you have a lovely weekend...
One more thing... Sometimes we consider an action and we ask God if it's okay to do it. We don't seem to hear Him saying "no" so we proceed... only to have it backfire. Only then, we realize we shouldn't have done it, whatever it was. I've had this happen many times!
Then the question "How do I know when I'm pleasing God?" becomes HUGE.
I don't know the answer. I just think that sometimes God doesn't give us clear answers to a flat-out question because He wants us to use our judgment and what He's already taught us. He also knows we might make a mistake... but that we'll learn MUCH more from making the mistake than otherwise.
In cases like this, I believe we are STILL pleasing God. Why? First, we did seek his will. Even if we didn't hear His answer, at least we sought it. Second, we proved willing to accept correction and change course. Mostly, our hearts remain inclined towards Him, even though we do make mistakes. Don't you think this is the ultimate way of pleasing Him? Keeping our hearts inclined toward Him, and always coming back to Him when we get off course?
Will we ever know when we please God or have we learned to tune him out when it comes to praise? We're taught so much to be humble and do only for others, but God isn't ALWAYS concerned with everyone else in your life. He's concerned about you in his personal relationship with you. He asks you to do things that please him and he pushes you in that direction. We do our best and we listen to him alone. We look for his path and we obey his words. That is what pleases him. You are much like me, always looking for someone's approval. But we already have God's approval, we don't need to strive for others'.
"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
Hey you make some good points. I would like to know if I am pleasing God also. I ponder that many times when I start to do something. Sometimes I wonder if I'm looking for some glory for me, or I really don't want look bad in some ome else's eyes. And my main concern should be is this what God wants me to be doing? O r is this the place I'm to be at to accomplish what he wants done.
A couple of questions. How do you get your messages to be so long? And how do I get to Rochelle"s site. I would appreciate your help. Thank you for your thought invoking writings. It makes me take stock of my feelings and where I am in my christian walk. Which sometimes I really wonder if I'm even close to being on the right path. GOD BLESS!!!!!
The first thing I say is that fear of man is connected with legalism. They go hand in hand, hence your verse being found in Galatians. I recommend studying the rest of it along with 1 John. God is already pleased with you as long as you are believing in Jesus and his completely finished and satisfactory work on the cross. His pleasure in you has nothing to do with anything but your faith (a gift in itself) in his perfect Son. You are no longer an object of wrath, and all your sins are forgiven. As you live our your faith through his indwelling Spirit, he is very very pleased with you. Even when he convicts and teaches you to say no to ungodliness, it is with the loving hand of a father well-pleased and utterly delighted at all the stages of your growing up.
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