July 18, 2025
- djohnstoncc
- Jul 18
- 2 min read
PLEASE GOD FIRST
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“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
TODAY’S THOUGHT
As a young man, I felt called into ministry because I loved God, and I loved people. But I quickly discovered something: loving people can easily slip into wanting to please people — and that is a trap. The harder you try to keep everyone happy; the less satisfied people seem to be.
That doesn’t mean we ignore people’s needs or become insensitive to their feelings. But our main goal as followers of Jesus can never be to win everyone’s approval — it must be to please God first.
We live in a culture obsessed with popularity and affirmation. Social media tempts us to measure our worth by the number of “likes” or followers we have. But Paul’s words challenge that mindset: “I’m not trying to win the approval of people.”
Would Paul use social media today? Probably! He would use any means possible to spread the gospel. But his purpose would never be to promote himself — it would be to point people to Jesus. He would speak the truth boldly, but always in love.
When we live for God’s approval, there will be moments when His truth clashes with the values of our culture. Jesus said that people who love darkness will resist the light. If we are living as light, some will reject us — not because of who we are, but because of who we represent.
So, let’s be sure that if people push back, it’s the light of Christ they reject — not an unloving or self-righteous attitude in us.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit, help me be wise. Teach me when to stand and when to sit, when to speak and when to stay silent. Keep me from chasing people’s approval at the expense of Your truth. Give me courage to stand for what’s right and let me please You above all. Amen.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”
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