Man-Pleasers and God-Pleasers

“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43)

                When you get right down to it, there are two kinds of people in the world – man-pleasers and God-pleasers.  Let’s start with man-pleasers – they’re the people who are primarily interested in pleasing themselves and others.  Sadly, politicians get thrown into this category, but some of them have earned the reputation.  Think about it -when do we hear from most of our elected representatives?  Usually when it’s time for re-election.  At that time, they work hard to please their constituents.

                Politicians are not the only ones who live for the approval of others.  If we’ll be honest, we’d have to admit that we’re all tempted to live for the affirmation of others, and sadly we often succumb to the temptation.  For example, we know we shouldn’t participate in the office gossip, but we run our mouths anyway because we want to be accepted by the group.  Or, we know we shouldn’t lie, but we think of how happy others will be if we tell them what they want to hear.

                In Christ’s day, there were some local rulers who believed that Jesus was the Christ, but they were not willing to confess Him as Lord because “they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”  They yearned for the approval of the Pharisees more than the approval of God.  My friend, ask yourself – “Who am I living for?”  If the answer is anything other than “God Almighty,” then you’re living for the wrong person.  Today and every day, yearn for God’s approval much more than that of men.