Our Wednesday Bible Study has been working through a series of lessons about spiritual disciplines, the choices we make to open our lives to the inflow of the Spirit and to defeat sinfulness. In addition to the Scripture, our guide for this study is John Ortberg's outstanding book, The Life You've Always Wanted. Last night we took a look at Jesus' command from Matthew 6 that we should do our 'religious' acts in secret. Remember His words? "When you give, don't announce it.... when you pray do it in private, not on the street corners... when you fast, don't look disheveled so others take note." The Message summarizes the principle Jesus is teaching saying, “When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint."
Because of that ancient sin, pride, there is, in every living person, a craving for approval and applause. If we feed that craving by 'showing off' it will become an addiction, turning us into actors, people pleasers, and hypocrites. If we allow ourselves to become 'externally validated,' that is - to let others determine how we feel about ourselves, we will become insecure, defensive, and shallow people. Our lives will be lived without conviction, and we will be incapable of making the hard choices that are necessary for any true child of the living God.
God defines success by our faithfulness to discover His purpose for life and then to faithfully live in that purpose. His one question to us is "Do you know my will and live in it?" Most of us define success much differently: by how much money we have, what titles we have claimed, how fast our kids run, and similar things. We run hard and fast after the approval of others, but it is a race that has no finish line. Why? Because when we achieve what we dreamed would mark us as a 'worthy person,' we look around and see that someone has done us one better! There is no better illustration of this than John Quincy Adams, who served as a US President, Secretary of State, Ambassador, and Congressman wrote near the end of his life: "I have done nothing. I have no ability to do anything that will live in the memory of mankind. My life has been spent in vain and idle aspirations, and in ceaseless rejected prayers that something should result of my existence beneficial to my own species."
Paul, the apostle, who lived most of his adult life being rejected by the secular governments of cities and towns, and fighting with religious authorities in Jerusalem, says - "Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant." (Galatians 1:10, NLT) He understood Jesus' demand for single mindedness with great clarity. What did the Lord say? "You cannot serve two masters."
Believer, if we want to please God, we must be willing to offend others and to endure rejection, criticism, even persecution. Certainly there will be those wonderfully blissful moments when His will causes us to bless others and when they will affirm us, thank us, and even take note and give thanks to God. There's not a thing wrong with that, but applause and recognition is never to the be motive for service, ever! If it comes to us incidentally, so be it. Be careful though. Applause is addictive. We can quickly learn to like it and turn ourselves into performers who dance for the crowds, even as we lose touch with the applause of the Audience of One. No one knows this better than a Pastor who takes the stage, week by week, in front of the congregation. I struggle daily with the temptation to fit my message and my service to popular expectations in order to get the glowingly affirming comments from those I am supposed to serve as God's spokesman.
Who are you serving today, Believer?
Who sits in the imaginary jury box, evaluating your life?
Is it God - or is it your parent, your pastor, your boss, your spouse, your friends?
Here's a word from the Word for meditation today:
"It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much.
The Master makes that judgment.
So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the “Well done!” of God." (1 Corinthians 4:3-5, The Message)
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