Sep 14 - Whose approval do I seek?

Is 15:1-18:7

Gal 1:1-24

Ps 58:1-11

Pro 23:12

"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."

I admit it - after having given my life to God, after having experienced Him in my life, and having spoken about Him thrice before our congregation, I still try to please people, which confirms I am still not a servant of Christ.  It used to be easy to see how I was trying to please people - when I was single, trying to impress the girls; when I was in school, trying to look sharp for the teachers; when first in a tie after graduation, trying to win the approval of potential employers.  While I find I still care what my employer thinks of my work, I realize that isn't really where the problem is.  It is with where my heart is, and as a parent, my heart is now with my children, and their future.  And there is where I realize I am still most vulnerable to the allure of the world: because I believe the world appreciates and rewards certain types of people, I want them to work hard in school so they can get into a good college; I worry about their SATs and their grades, their extracurriculars and their social lives.  I want them to get into a good college, so they can find a good job, hopefully enjoy a life of abundance.  What could be wrong with any of that?  After all, none of this is for me, right?  

Leaving aside Pastor Scott's sermon last Sunday about how Solomon had tried it all, and found a life apart from God meaningless, upon reflection I realize that, regardless of my motivation, there is a lot that is seriously wrong with this thinking, not just for myself, but for my kids as well.  First, I am aspiring to this for my children pretending I know what the future holds for them, and where their happiness might lie.  I act as though my life experiences and my aspirations (which have often enough been cause for misery - both my own and my family's) give me the power to predict the future.  The truth is, the only thing certain about this course of action for my children is it is bound to be wrong, bound to cause them sadness and pain.  Besides the impact this might have on my children, I am collateral damage, because even without knowing it, I have continued to embrace what the world wants, to the detriment of my relationship with God.

So if after 47 years, many of them after I'd given my life to God, I still don't get it, what is one to do?  Thankfully, we have a patient and instructive God...and we can take heart in today's proverb: Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.  

God, I confess I still do NOT get it, and I continue to find myself swept up by what the world values.  Teach me, teach my wife and my children to recognize when we are trying to please people, and give a hunger only to serve You.