VOTW - Whose Approval?

I ran into some friends the other day that I hadn’t seen in years. In fact, I hadn’t seen them since I had kids—over four years ago. It’s always nice to get together with people after an extensive time apart and catch up, especially if it feels just like old times, don’t you think?

I love catching up with old friends, except for one thing, I’m not who I was back then. As I’ve matured and grown closer in my relationship with Christ, I’ve become a different person on a different path then the girl these people knew. I’m not afraid to be different, not worried about following the crowd. Yet, when questioned about some lifestyle choices (in a curious fashion, not a judgmental one), like homeschooling, I found out I still want to be accepted. I felt the need to qualify my decisions, even though my friends weren’t questioning my choices. My defenses went up automatically.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Gal 1:10

This verse comes in the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, who were falling prey to false gospels. They were compromising their beliefs to fit in, much like the old me.

This is an area of weakness I know I have to fight. As believers, we are not here to win the hearts of those around us. In fact, the Bible says that the world will not understand us, nor will they like us. Instead, we seek to please God. We cannot serve two masters—the world and God. Their moralities don’t mix.

So, as we go into the first full week of October, let’s reflect on whose approval it is we seek!