I
hope I will never be able to honestly say to another person, “I
don’t care what you think or how you feel!”
I care very much what people think and feel because people matter. However, you and I cannot allow what others
think or feel prevent us from obeying the Lord and standing for what is right,
because…well, because people matter.
Galatians
1:10
For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men?
For if I still pleased men, I would not be a
bondservant of Christ.
Suggested
Prayer
Father,
I praise You, for in all You do or allow in the lives of mankind, You are
intentional; You are never careless.
When I think of the great care You took in designing the complexities of
our ability to think and feel, I am overwhelmed with awe. I am especially overwhelmed by Your
discerning compassion: For though You care enough to number the hair of our
heads – and note every tear that falls – You do not allow Your love for us
deter You from making decisions that may be painful but beneficial for us. Father, I pray Your Holy Spirit would work in
me Your discerning compassion. May I
never be careless of how others think or feel.
Yet, Lord, make me wise, and embolden me to obey Your voice – rather
than the voice of human opinions and emotional whims. I pray I would not “stand my ground” out of
self-righteous spite, but that I would stand for Your Holy Word and Ways to
please You and bless those You have placed in my life. Lord Jesus, if You had been swayed by
people’s thoughts and feelings – their love for You – You would never have
placed Yourself on the cross to save them - to save me. May I also, even if it brings me death,
choose to love people enough to speak the truth and live the truth for Your
glory and namesake. And may the pursuit
of seeking Your pleasure alone be the joy of my life’s journey and destination!
In
the name of Jesus, I pray…Amen.
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ReplyDeleteAn online class discussion recently delved into "fear (approval) of man" versus "fear (approval) of God".
ReplyDeleteIn a culture where we are taught to "fit in"; "go with the flow" and pummeled with TV shows where you are "voted off" if you don't meet with approval, fear of what others think of us is ingrained. We can easily feel the sting of man's disapproval because it is right here, right now and forget that the approval of the One who created us matters most:
Matthew 10:28: Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.