Do I Seek To Please God or Men?

Make it your aim, as you serve the Lord, to always please Him and not merely people. The Apostle Paul wisely exemplified this truth, in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” How vital for us to remember that it is God who has afforded us the many opportunities we have to serve Him and others. Therefore, we must labor and invest ourselves for His grand approval upon our lives of service. This in no way implies a lack of consideration for people’s legitimate needs or concerns. While it is a wonderful thing to satisfy the expectations of those we serve, ultimately we must answer to Christ.

You see, it is God who tries the hearts of His servants. He, with infinitely clear insight into the motives and desires of our hearts, will carefully examine us. He is fully aware of the reasons behind our actions. If we undertake holy tasks with unholy ambitions of pride, self-aggrandizement, fortune, or prestige, surely the Lord God will know this and smite our hearts accordingly. MacDonald observed,

A steward is obligated to please the one who pays him. Preachers may sometimes be tempted to hold back the full truth for fear of repercussion from those who contribute to their support. But God is the Master, and He knows when the message is watered down or suppressed. (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

Therefore, can our false humility go undetected? Is it possible our fear motivated ‘initiatives’ could be exposed by God? Is it possible our anger and frustration-based decisions will be subject to the discerning fires of an all-knowing Lord? The answer must be an absolute YES, if we are honest with ourselves!

Often Christian work is prosecuted on the basis of the normal, well established, and conventional wisdom of a movement, denomination, fellowship, or association. Unfortunately, our man-made traditions drive us to do the same things in the same way while expecting different and positive results. Someone described this as the definition for insanity! Pleasing the Lord first and foremost may demand breaking with mere human traditions no matter how well established they may be. The problem is many matters are viewed as biblical when really they are only traditional, contemporary, or cultural. This struggle is not new at all. No, truly biblical requirements are not of human origin and must be upheld. Traditions, whether ancient or contemporary, should be examined to determine their real value, but in many instances they may need to be discarded!

When we stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ, what people preferred or thought will not matter much at all. What did our Master require? What does the Bible actually say and teach? This is the issue most pressing to us as His slaves. Our loyalties should be to Christ first and foremost and not the group we identify ourselves with. It is God who has entrusted us with the Gospel; therefore, we are supremely accountable to Him. This is a marvelous and freeing realization. Our Lord has simplified matters for us. We have but one Lord and God to please.

In addition, we are not left without examples of authentic devotion and consecration to God’s will. The Apostle Paul executed a ministry of incredible freedom under the Mastery of Christ. Also in John 8:29, the Lord Jesus said, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” Christ was sent with a definite purpose and object; He habitually lived and served to always please His Father who sent Him. It was God’s way…period. Our Lord enjoyed special fellowship and communion with the Father through His devotion to His will. Certainly decisive discernment and spiritual power were His in abundance due to His commitment to execute God’s plan. Christ Jesus provides an imminently appropriate Model of faithfulness and fruitfulness for us today!

Then finally, the wise King Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 29:25, that “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” Being too overly concerned with political correctness and pleasing everybody is not how we demonstrate a trust in the LORD. There is no real safety to be had in capitulating to the sheer whelm of fickle souls or societies. Serving in the fear of the Lord can protect and preserve us from serious mistakes—actions that are deeply offensive to HIM. We are far too concern about mere men being happy with us, while we readily diminish the pleasure of God in His servants’ full obedience to Him. Speak and share the gospel of our Lord as one who has been commissioned by Almighty God. Beloved, escape the snares and traps that accompany the fear of man by serving in the fear of God. 

Again make it your life’s goal, as a servant of the Most High God, to always please Him in all things. If we can please people as we passionately pursue God’s pleasure first, then wonderful. If we must choose between pleasing God and men, then for me the decision has been made. Though we will live with the consequences of our decisions, we will also live with the rewards and benefits of them as well.