#pleasing others

Devotional for October 25

Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. - Ephesians 6:6-8

Insight

Paul's instructions encourage responsibility and integrity on the job. Christian employees should do their jobs as if Jesus Christ were their supervisor. And Christian employers should treat their employees fairly and with respect.

Challenge

Can you be trusted to do your best, even when the boss is not around? Do you work hard and with enthusiasm? Do you treat your employees as people, not machines? Remember that no matter whom you work for, and no matter who works for you, the One you ultimately should want to please is your Father in heaven.

It's not your fault that you can't please everyone. It's just part of life.

It’s human nature to have a desire to be loved and accepted by others. But it’s important not to allow that longing to change who you are or what you stand for. Too many people, in an attempt to win friends, live their lives as “people pleasers,” worrying more about what others think than what God thinks. Author Jacob Nordby once said, “What an interesting little prison we build from the invisible bricks of other people’s opinion.” And oh, how true that is. Living to please people will keep you paralyzed with fear, never wanting to be yourself because you’re too afraid that you’ll disappoint someone or perhaps meet with their disapproval. Instead, be so connected to Jesus that you’ll become like a beautiful flower that doesn’t need the approval of another flower to bloom; it just blooms. It’s impossible to please everyone, and if you spend your life trying, you’ll live an empty, meaningless life. Don’t go with the flow; go where God wants you to grow. Remember, it doesn’t matter what other people think about you - it only matters what God thinks about you. The apostle Paul says in Galatians 1:10, “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” When you value the opinions of others over God’s, it’s actually a form of idolatry. The first commandment in Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Anything you put before God becomes an idol. Don’t stay in a prison built with invisible bricks. Instead, choose freedom by seeking approval from the only one that matters . . . your Creator, God.