Seeking the Approval of Others

Key Passage:
"The rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God"
(John 12:42-43).

He had been waiting his entire career for this one moment.  With just four seconds left-his team trailing by six points in the championship game-Steven caught the quarterback's perfectly placed pass and sprinted down the sideline. Seventy thousand fans erupted, raucously cheering for Steven as he crossed midfield and headed for the end zone.

He was the center of attention, and, with just thirty yards left to sprint, Steven seemed destined to be a hero-his name plastered across the newspaper and television for weeks to come.

Yet, amidst all the screams of approval, Steven failed to notice the defensive back closing in. Before he could protect the ball, he was suddenly thrown to the ground, jarring the ball loose moments before his knee struck the turf.  The defensive back quickly recovered Steven's fumble and ran out-of-bounds.

The game was over.

As Steven, stunned and disoriented, lay face down on the turf, he quietly listened as the stadium full of fans incessantly booed him.  Seventy thousand cheers had instantly turned to seventy thousand jeers.  He felt completely alone, utterly rejected.

Most of us will never know what it's like to play football in a stadium packed with people.  But, like Steven, we've all experienced the joy of acceptance and the pain of rejection.

In a society of fickle opinions, we often place too much weight on the judgment of others, forgetting that our relationship with God is our only constant source of stability.

Even in biblical times, certain rulers-who were believers that had direct proof of Jesus' miracles and existence-publicly rejected Christ and adhered to social tradition and legalistic rules instead. They clearly "loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (John 12:43).   For fear that they would be cast out of the synagogue and disowned by the Pharisees, these rulers chose social acceptance over the approval of almighty God, even as Christ Himself stood before them.

Certainly, God wants us to have comforting earthly relationships.  The importance of true friendship can never be underestimated; however, we should never compromise our values in order to gain acceptance.  When
we seek other people's approval, what is our limit? How much of our own conscience are we willing to sacrifice in order to gain social endorsement?

James says we "are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then  vanishes away" (James 4:14). How much of this precious time are we willing to spend at the mercy of the ever-changing opinions of those
around us?  When our lives are complete and we stand before God's throne, will we really care about the opinions of others?

Christ isn't interested in what logos are on our clothes, what cars we drive, how big our houses are, or in which area of town we live; He only cares about the condition of our hearts.   When our motives are driven by external appearance, our internal relationship with Christ will inevitably suffer.

You see, when we seek to please people, our lives will become fragmented.  In trying to please one person here and another person there, we will eventually lose our own self-identities.  And when we lose sight of ourselves, we cannot appreciate the immense love that God has for us.  Only through a relationship with Christ can we remain whole.

When we, as believers, are tempted to seek the approval of others, it is important that we:

- Reaffirm that we belong to God; we are His children.  Our sins-past, present, and future-are forgiven, and we can live our lives in the freedom of God's love rather than the chains of social mores.  

- Remember that we are capable, through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, of facing and conquering any experience in life.  We do not need the approval of others when God has promised us everything we require.

Our lives are a gift from God.  We exist to glorify and represent Him, not the opinions of those around us.

Have you fallen prey to the social game of acceptance?  If so, it's a game you'll never win.  God approves of you so much that He sent His Son to die an excruciating death for you.

That's all the approval you need.

 --Intouch Ministries