How Galatians 1:10 Challenges Us to Please God, Not Other People
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When was the last time you asked yourself, “Am I pleasing other people or am I pleasing God?” I would argue that the root of people pleasing is idolatry. It is making a “god” out of ourselves and being accepted by others. It is the idea that our greatest hope is that other created beings would approve of us and like us.
Today, we are going to be learning from Galatians 1:10 to please God above all.
Everyday Challenges to People Pleasing
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
We face this every day. Are we going to parent our children so they like us, or discipline and guide them because we love them? Are we going to do what the company is asking us to do even though it is unethical, or will we risk our job for integrity? Young people have to make these choices as well. Are they going to bully that other kid in school or stand up for them?
Seeking to please or appease others comes from a desire to be loved, known, and accepted. However, when we are operating out of our true identity as believers, we are reminded, we are chosen (1 Peter 1:2), we are loved (John 3:16), we are sons and daughters of God (John 1:12), we are wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and we are secure in Christ (Isaiah 41:10).
Will we act like the world to be loved by the world, or will we be set apart as a witness to Jesus? Will we honor family, friends, or even ministries more than honoring Christ? Will we use our words to puff others up, or tell them the truth in love?
What Then Is Love?
“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39).
We are called to love God first with everything. I am a married woman. I am not partially married to my husband. I am not only married to him on the weekdays and “take off” on the weekends. I am forever his, this side of heaven. He is my covenant man. However, He is not Jesus. Jesus is my First Love. He is the One in whom I rest in my salvation. He is the One who is worthy of my worship. My marriage is a picture of Christ’s marriage to His church, however, it is a broken picture of it.
We do not have the ability to love God like Matthew 22:37-39 says, apart from the power and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is impossible. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” If our desire in life is to please God, Hebrews makes it clear that we do this by having faith in Him. This is through the power of the Holy Spirit.
To love God also means that we obey Him. John 14:5 says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” We have failed at every single command from the Lord. We know that we cannot love Him well. However, with His Spirit, we can love Him and obey Him.
How does this affect our other relationships? This means that our main priority in life is to please the Lord. Does this mean that we do not love others well? No, we are also called to love people in Matthew 22. That means we live by the Spirit to love them well. We invest time and energy into building community, we are connected to the church body locally, we are intentional with our time with family and friends, and we sacrifice to help others and care for them well.
However, any time a person or a thing creeps its way up into the throne of our hearts, we have made an idol. It is impossible to worship God and someone else, just like it is impossible for me to be fully devoted to my husband but to “take a break” on the weekends. We serve an all-in God. An example of this is seen in Matthew 6 when Jesus discusses serving money and worldly possessions versus Him:
“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
God Disciplines to Yield Fruit
Paul tells it like it is in Galatians 1:10. He says, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” He is well aware that he has lived to please others in the past, but his new desire is to honor Jesus, his Savior, with his life.
What are your biggest struggles when it comes to pleasing others instead of God? Think about some practical ways you do this. It might seem small, such as, “I jump in when others gossip at work to fit in.” Or it might be something large like, “I never tell my boss no even when I have to prioritize work over my family and faith community time and time again.”
Whatever you have struggled with in the past or whatever you are currently working through with the Spirit and God’s Word, remember that we are all being sanctified. We do not have to remain in our “people pleasing” mindsets that lead us into negative spirals. We can live in true freedom.
The beautiful part is that when we please God, there is blessing that follows. No, it does not mean that people will not disagree with us, laugh at us, gossip about us, or even hate us. However, we will have a confidence rooted and established on that Rock, our Fortress, our Anchor: Jesus Christ. We will know that we are living lives with internal peace and joy because we suffer with Him and for His name’s sake. We will also love better. We will be able to have our priorities and people in the correct places in our hearts. This means that we will be better husbands or wives, better parents, better siblings, better children, better workers, and better people.
This might seem like a simple concept, however it is very complex. As we surrender our hearts and minds to the work of the Spirit, may we ask Him to search us and reveal anything in us that is not of Him. May we live out no other gods but Him. May we find our identity in being children of God and in pleasing our Heavenly Father above all.
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