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)]
The email from my dentist asked, “Would you recommend us?” When I answered in the affirmative, I was hyperlinked to a site that added my five-star rating to that of other patients. The following day, I received a longer survey regarding my recent visit. Once done, it again asked if I would recommend his services and requested use of my name in an on-line testimonial. It’s clear that my dentist wants more than feedback; he wants the public approval of his patients. Although I like him, I like my privacy more, so I declined!
Like my dentist, we all want to be noticed, liked, approved, applauded, and endorsed but, unlike him, we probably don’t employ a company to do surveys for us. Nevertheless, we tend to measure approval in other ways—the website’s metrics, “friends” on Facebook/Meta, and followers on Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat. Approval is determined by the number of compliments received, memberships (and offices held) in various organizations, honors awarded, likes on the posting, hearts on the text, or the quantity of Christmas and birthday cards received and invitations extended or accepted. We judge admiration on the number and expense of gifts we get, the reviews on Yelp or Trip Advisor, the size of the obituary, and the length of the line offering condolences at the funeral home.
Of course, it’s only natural to want the admiration of our family, friends, peers, and employers. Nevertheless, we must never seek their approval at the expense of pleasing God. When Saul initiated a sacrifice rather than wait for Samuel, he was seeking his men’s approval rather than God’s; as a result, he lost his kingdom. When we seek the approval of others, God does not approve! According to the Apostle John, many Jewish leaders would not admit their faith in Jesus for fear of being put out of their synagogues because they “loved human praise more than the praise of God.” Jesus warned us about trying to impress people with our righteousness by putting on a show of our giving, praying, or fasting. While we might be praised by others, the One who sees into our hearts is not impressed.
In Bill Watterson’s comic Calvin & Hobbes, there were several instances (usually after having been disciplined or given a chore) when the precocious Calvin informed his father that his approval ratings were dangerously low, especially among six-year-olds and stuffed tigers. To Calvin’s surprise, his dad seemed unconcerned about his approval ratings’ ups and downs. Like this wise comic strip father, we can’t let approval ratings determine our behavior! As much as we want to be liked and admired, Jesus made it clear that we must not seek the approval of people rather than that of God! Our job is to please Him and His approval rating is the only one that truly counts!
When we try to please both the world and God, the interests of our two masters eventually will collide. When that happens, and it will, whose approval will we seek—man’s or God’s?
Fear of man is the enemy of the fear of the Lord. The fear of man pushes us to perform for man’s approval rather than according to God’s directives. [Paul Chappell]
Having quoted from Isaiah when proclaiming the Messiah’s arrival, we know John knew Isaiah’s prophecies. The Messiah would “bind up the brokenhearted [and] proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners,” [61:1] but, after spending more than a year confined to a dark cell, John had neither liberty nor freedom. It’s no wonder he doubted.
At the time, Herod Antipas was the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. While married to the daughter of Aretas IV, king of Nabatea, Antipas visited his half-brother, Herod Philip and his wife Herodias (who was the daughter of another half-brother, Herod Aristobulus) in Rome. While there, Antipas became enamored with his brother’s wife. After divorcing their spouses, he and Herodias married and lived in Herod’s palace with Herodias’ daughter Salome. Their divorces and marriage were politically explosive and religiously scandalous and John the Baptizer was outspoken in his condemnation of their incestuous sinful relationship. While marrying a niece wasn’t uncommon, Mosaic law prohibited marrying a brother’s wife except in what was called a “levirate marriage” when a brother died childless. Philip, however, was very much alive at the time! Both Herod Antipas’ reputation and his political security were threatened by John’s public condemnation of his marriage as well as his Messianic message.
After pointing out Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” some of John the Baptizer’s disciples left John to follow Jesus. Later, John’s remaining disciples reported that Jesus was baptizing (it actually was His disciples) and wanted to know whose purification ritual of baptism was valid. With many turning from John to Jesus, the Baptizer’s disciples were confused, concerned, and probably a little envious. Apparently, they forgot that John’s original mission was that of forerunner—the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah and point the way to the Lamb of God. Knowing that he wasn’t the bridegroom but only His friend, the Baptizer humbly affirmed his position by telling his disciples that Jesus must become more prominent while he became less and less important. J.C. Ryle likened the Baptizer’s role to that of a star growing paler and paler as the sun rises until the star completely disappears in the light of the sun. John clearly understood that he was to fade in the light of the Son.
Along the road to the Serengeti, somewhere near the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, is a crescent-shaped sand dune. Measuring about 30-feet in height and 328-feet long along its curves, it is known as the Shifting Sands. Rich in iron and highly magnetized, the sand sticks to itself when tossed in the air. When the wind blows, its particles fall back on the dune rather than get carried away by the breeze. The dune, however, is constantly on the move as the prevailing winds slowly move the entire thing across the land. Moving about 50-feet a year, it’s believed that the Shifting Sands have been traveling the savannah for more than three thousand years, sometimes changing both shape and direction. Of course, the dune moves so gradually that you don’t see its motion. Nevertheless, stakes in the ground indicate its location in previous years.
Devotions of the Heart 