I admit that I want people to like me. Years ago, a congregation member I pastored could not have been accused of that. It was obvious.
When I preached, this person never made eye contact but looked down at the floor the entire sermon. The individual said that if I walked in the front door of their house, they would walk out the back door. The person hated me.
It was a very uncomfortable relationship. It was an emotionally upsetting situation because this person did not like me.
Years later, when I was no longer pastor of that church, the relationship was transformed, but not by anything I had consciously done to fix it. I ate at this person’s house several times and didn’t need a cupbearer to taste the food for my protection!
Wanting people to like us is natural but counterproductive to being faithful servants of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian churches, “Obviously, 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” (Galatians 1:10 NLT).
I read that in my devotions several days before writing this blog. It jumped off the page at me. It zinged my heart. I understood that my goal must not be pleasing people. I am slowly learning that lesson.
Six years ago, when I began writing blogs, I received negative feedback from members of another religious group. I remember my hands shaking as I sent a response to their criticism of what I had written about Jesus.
That doesn’t happen anymore. My hands don’t shake, and I don’t respond to such criticisms. I receive about 175 comments daily on my promoted blog post, “Jesus Is Lord” but don’t read them, positive or negative. Sending the message and evidence that Jesus is Lord is my mission.
Today I made an exception and responded to someone’s Facebook message, “You are a fool.” I said, “Thank you for your vote of confidence.”
I then sent my usual message promoting my website, https://www.christiangrowthresources.com. I didn’t care that the person didn’t like me or my message.
We are not responsible for the results of sharing the seed of God’s word. We know much of it will never bear fruit (Mark 4:1–20). Relatively little seed falls on receptive hearts, but we continue to sow.
Serving Christ and pleasing people are incompatible. Jesus commands us to love our neighbors, not please them (Matthew 22:39).
Loving them includes sharing God’s message about the narrow way to life many will not like. “But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:14 NLT). People pleasers don’t share it for fear of offending. People lovers do.
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (Matthew 6:24 NLT) or please people (most of whom aren’t serving Him) and serve Jesus. People pleasing is a subtle form of idolatry.
Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27 NLT). We follow the shepherd, not ba-ba-baaaing lost sheep so they will like us. People pleasers are not Christ’s servants. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians. #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources
See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com
God has empowered me to write “His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength.” It’s a free evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship eBook. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 2,800 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 8,387 people. I invite you to check it out.
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