I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Who Are You Trying To Please?
Have you ever struggled with people-pleasing? With caring more about what a human being thinks of you than what your Creator thinks of you? With wanting to honor God, but also wanting to be loved and respected by people?
Writing to believers in Galatia, Paul had a message for those deciding if they should trust the stand-alone grace of Jesus, or add rules and regulations to Jesus’ finished work. He said:
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 NIV
Every day and every moment, we have a choice: to seek human approval or God’s approval.
And if we genuinely desire to please God, how do we do so?
Contrary to many other religions, it’s not by doing enough good works to tip the scales in our favor. But as Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it’s impossible to please God…” The only part we have to play in our salvation is having faith in the One who saves.
Faith is essentially trust, so think about it: Who do you trust? Who are you trying to please? Who are you hoping notices you and accepts you and is proud of you?
If you’re interested in evaluating your own motives—which can sometimes be difficult—you can ask yourself these questions:
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Am I influenced more by cultural trends, societal pressure, and the opinions of others—or by the Word of God?
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Am I trusting that there’s nothing I can add to the finished work of Jesus, or am I believing the lie that Jesus plus something else is required?
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Am I committed to trusting God, even when I might get canceled, blocked, fired—or even killed?
If popularity is your goal, living for Jesus might be a challenge. But if you’re committed to trusting God, then He calls you to live differently. He invites you to embrace His approval by showing others unconditional kindness, patience, grace, and love.
At the end of this life, you will stand before an audience of One. So who are you trying to please?
A Gift Worth Receiving
After Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for almost four decades, the religious Jews were angry with Him. This may seem strange, because healing is a good thing, but Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath—the day of rest. In the Old Testament, God gave believers a long list of rules to follow in order to stay right with Him, and these rules included honoring the Sabbath.
But in the New Testament, Jesus was sent to change our relationship with the Father. By sacrificing Himself on the cross, He gave us access to a relationship with God—so that long list of rules was no longer needed. Throughout Jesus' life, He shows people the nature of this new relationship. But because it didn’t line up with what the religious establishment believed, they were angry with Him.
In John 5, Jesus justifies these changes through revealing His true authority. By calling God His Father, He shared that He was equal to God. This angered the religious Jews, but it gives us a ...
