People-Pleaser or God-Pleaser?

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Galatians 2 (click the link)


FOCAL PASSAGE:
When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. (Galatians 2:11-12, NIV)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!(Galatians 2:20-21, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
For me, God has revealed the following:

1. We can be influenced by peer pressure.

It is amazing how we can sometimes act differently when certain people are around us or when we are in different surroundings.  Even the way I think and talk will sometimes change based on the people around me or my surroundings.  Peter (God’s appointed apostle) was influenced by his friends and “was not following the truth of the Good News.”  If Peter can be easily influenced by peer pressure, we must be on guard of this temptation at all times.  

Not trying to be a people-pleaser or be influenced by peer pressure; this has been a long time struggle for me.  I sometimes seek the praise of men instead of seeking the will of God.  I sometimes will not speak the truth because it will hurt someone’s feeling.  I will also go along with something when I do not know if it is the right thing to do.

We live in a society of not wanting to offend anyone.  We will sometimes lower our standard or be influenced by other beliefs in order to be accepted by everyone.  However, Christ always sought the will of God and spoke the truth no matter what other people thought.  Many times Christ had to leave the crowd because they tried to kill Him for speaking the whole truth. 

We should also guard against speaking partial truth.  When Satan tempted Christ; Satan spoke partial truth but not the whole truth.  Anything but the whole truth is not good.  I have been guilty in the past of only speaking partial truth instead of the whole truth to someone in order to protect their feelings.

2. We need people to speak truth into our lives.

Paul had to speak truth to Peter.  It does not matter who we are or what we do, we all need people to speak truth into our lives.  Otherwise, we will never perform the will of God.

One of the greatest things about my wife is that she speaks the truth no matter what other people think.  She will tell me the truth even though I do not always want to hear the truth.  When I become deaf to God in a certain area, God will use my wife to speak truth into me.  I must admit to everyone, my first reaction to truth from God or my wife is to defend my actions.  I become like a four-year-old boy trying to defend what I did wrong; thinking I can out smart them.  

I’m now trying to seek truth from God, my wife, and those whom I can trust.  Only by accepting truth can I become a better person and perform the will of God.  I currently try not to defend my wrong actions and to change my current actions by accepting the truth that is being spoken to me. A true friend will speak truth to me.  God is more interested in my character than my comfort.  If it was up to me, I would always remain as a baby who would cry until he got his own way.  A baby in diapers is cute but a full grown man wearing diapers is a little scary.  God wants us to grow in maturity by seeking and living the whole truth.   Not what we want but what God wants for us.  Like a good parent, God knows what is best for us.

3. We need to die of ourselves daily so Christ can live in and through us.

I love Peter because I can relate to him.  Peter is a man sold out to God but is still trying to die to self.  One minute Peter is telling Jesus that he will die for him and within a few hours, Peter denies Jesus three times.  Peter eats with the gentiles and then removes himself from the gentiles because his friends from Jerusalem are in town visiting.  We can be so on fire for God and then within a few hours be cold to God’s calling.  However, there is hope for us.  With the help of the Holy Spirit and people speaking truth into us without us getting offended to the truth spoken, we can become like Christ.  Maturity (dying to ourselves and becoming like Christ) is a process that takes time.  A seed planted in the soil is not a mature plant growing fruit the next morning.


POINT OF ACTION:
Start pleasing God instead of men.  Make sure you are not trying to impress the people around you at the cost of doing God’s will. 

Instead of trying to justify our actions, let us seek God’s truth that will free us from ourselves.  Start asking God and other people you trust for God’s words of wisdom (truth) for you.  Instead of running from truth, we should be running towards truth.  We can all be blinded to truth because truth will cause us to change and changing can be difficult.   Remember, a good friend will always speak truth.  So do not get offended when a good friend speaks truth to you.

We are each a seed to be planted by God.  We must die to our self so we can grow and bear much fruit; allowing our roots to grow deep into God’s word, soaking in the living water poured out by God, and allowing God to prune us in the areas of our lives that need pruning.  


PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, help me to die to myself daily so I can grow and bear much fruit where you have planted me.  To always seek your will for me and not to seek the praise of men or be moved by peer pressure and never be influenced by the things of this world.  Help me to seek truth at all times and not be offended when truth is spoken to me.


WHO AM I?
I am Max Peeples, a bond servant who loves Jesus Christ with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength.  I am a man who is seeking God’s will and truth; a man who sometimes acts like a two-year-old child.