Are you People Pleasing or God Pleasing?
Main Scripture: John 1:12, Romans 12:2
My entire life I have been a people pleaser. All throughout my years of middle and high school I wanted others to like me. I wanted them to like the way I did my hair, my clothes, the way I talked and even cared about what others thought about my social media posts. The youth of today have a lot more opportunities to care about what others think because of the recent rise of social media within the last 10 years. Students, I am 21 years old and I still really struggle with striving to please others. I’m just trying to be transparent with you today.
Where I think we often go wrong as people, is when we put the opinion of others over God’s truth. The only way we can now the truth of God is by spending daily time with him through prayer, devotion and hearing the word of God taught by others. So if we are going to choose God Pleasing over People Pleasing then don’t we need to know what God thinks of us? Believe it or not students, you may think you know what your friends/peers think about you. In all reality we don’t ever really know. Why is this? Because we are all human, things can easily change our mind and at our age gossip can be the name of the game. I am so thankful that God clearly tells me who I am in his word. I don’t have to wonder nor question.
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”-John 1:12
Did you read that right? You are a child of God! You are a true child of the king! The creator of the world calls you his child, for those who have received Jesus.
So why do we focus on the pleasing others over pleasing God when God says we are his child? The answer to this is simple because I believe we’ve all been there. I’ve personally been in a place of pleasing people over God more than I want to admit. But we focus on pleasing people because we are stuck in an earthly mindset and not living in the heavenly vision from God for our lives. This reminds me of the theme verse for Transformed Student Ministry-“Do not conform to the ways of this world, yet be transformed by the renewing of your mind in Christ Jesus our Lord.”-Romans 12:2. To please God and not people is to constantly walk with Christ throughout your day, realize in him you are a child of God not the ways or even people of this world. This life is but a vapor.
This picture above is me when I was in the 9th grade. I didn’t just insert this picture in today’s devotional to just be funny and embarrass myself, but I inserted it to hopefully allow you to think deeper. God truly gave me today’s devotional and it’s coming from my heart.
The picture above shows a 9th grade boy that loved Jesus, but was insecure, confused and wanted to make every person in his life happy that he forgot to please God with all of his actions. This boy got so lost in the opinions of others that shortly after this picture was taken he wasn’t who God made him to be. He was a different person. Thankfully this boy was a child of God and eventually he finally somewhat realized “that this life we have will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.” I still have my days where I struggle greatly with living trying to please others, but once I realize it I try to get back in living in the truth that I’m a Child Of God. Yes I am. Praise God.
So what about you? Are you like the 9th grader above who was only concerned about people pleasing? Are you so lost in what others think about you that you’ve forgotten the truth of who you are in Christ? If you are currently people pleasing over God pleasing I want to invite you today to turn back to Christ. Spend time after this devotion and just pray. Ask God to help you let go of the opinions of others and live in the truth that Jesus died for. I love you students, BUT God loves you so much more. Rest in him.
Love and Blessings,
Brady Henderson
Student Pastor
Transformed Student Ministry
Transformed Student Ministry 