How can you be sure that you are pleasing God? Is just claiming to be a christian enough? Is going to church enough? Is saying the right things, at the right times, to the right people enough? Are you looking for approval and gratitude of man? Do you do the things you do with the expectation of someone taking notice and acknowledging your work? Are you boastful about the things that you do for others? Are you boastful about the time you spend in your private, quiet, personal times of devotion? If you answered "yes" to a majority of these questions then let us take a quick look at Galatians 1:10 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."
What I get from this scripture is that I must first determine my motives before doing anything in the name of the Lord. Is doing things for people a good thing? Yes, of course it is. However, if your intentions aren't pure, then you probably shouldn't do it. What I mean by that is if you are wanting to be praised and acknowledged by man then your heart isn't in the right place. You see God sees all and knows all. He knows the genuine motivation of your heart, and the reasons for you doing what you are doing. Going to church is great, but being in church every time the doors are open does not make you a christian. What makes you a christian is the genuine relationship that you have with your Heavenly Father. Sure being seen makes you look good on the outside, but it's what is on the inside that really counts. Serving in multiple ministries is great, but again is your heart really in it? Are you seeking and following the will of God for your life? You might be surprised to find out that God doesn't care if you serve on 100 ministries, what He cares about is how you serve. Are you passionate about where you serve? Are you putting your heart into it? Are you seeking God's guidance for the way you serve? Are you seeking His approval and His approval only? These are questions we should ask whenever we are serving in any area of our life. As Christians we get so caught up in telling everyone how great we are instead of just showing them. We tend to forget that letting your actions speak for you goes so much further than your words. Sure we can all talk a great game, but it's what you do that really counts. Do you serve selflessly in the areas that go unnoticed? If so than rest assured your works are being noticed by the only one that truly matters. Everyone wants to be center stage for our own glory and gratification, but those that work behind the scenes are the ones doing the greatest works.
Now don't get me wrong, we all want to be appreciated for what we do. There is nothing wrong with expecting a simple "thank you". However, we sometimes seem to want it from everyone. We want to be acknowledged for the works that we do. We want everyone to know what we did, but this isn't the way of God. If you are having to toot your own horn so to speak, then again you should re-evaluate your motives. When your motives are pure then others will acknowledge you, because they hear of your good works from others and not from yourself. We've all been caught in those situations when someone is going on and on and on about what they are doing and how much they are doing and how valuable their works are. This my friends is called being boastful. Let us take a look at
Matthew 6:1-7 Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."
So again my brothers and sisters, I urge you to serve the Lord and each other with a pure heart. For those of you who already do this and may feel discouraged because your works go unnoticed; take comfort in knowing that God knows your works and He will reward you accordingly. Today I will leave you with this final scripture: Colossians 1:10 "So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God"
May you be blessed in every area of your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment