Nations1

Some wisdom about trying to please other people, freedom and rest:

From my wife yesterday: “Why are you trying to please (that person) when the only one you should be pleasing is God. How ugly is it to try and please a human over trying to please God. You should focus on  Jesus and stop worrying about  people you do not even like. When you do this you place that person above God and end up worshiping them over God”.

WOW, she is right and my eyes were opened. Freedom is arriving. Rest accompanies freedom.

From the radio: “I refuse to hand myself over to others in order to feel good about myself”(Paraphrase). What the radio personality was trying to say was he was not dependent on good reviews or good press by others,(who actually hate him)  in order to feel good about himself. When you hand that over to others you can never be strong in your belief. Wow, again , good stuff.

But is this not what what most people do? We desire acceptance, so we hand ourselves over to others hoping they will in turn affirm us. Like us. Then, when they affirm us we feel good about us. If they reject us, we stress, at least I do. That is so shallow. It is fragile. It is bondage. Jesus came to set us free not create more bondage.

In the end Jesus was only focusing on pleasing God.   It cost Him his earthly life,  but it gave us eternal life, something of far greater value.

God is the only One we need to please. He is the only way to freedom. Trying to please anyone , including ourselves, but Him results in a futile life .

God help us to remember this! Help us to please only You.