Approval of Men

Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope you had a nice weekend.

I usually don’t read Time magazine, I am not a very political person. (On Facebook where it asks for your political view, I wrote” God is in charge.”) But this morning a copy was lying open on the bathroom counter and the headline “Don’t Wait for a Thank You, Mr. President” caught my eye.

The article said Americans do not appreciate their presidents, even the REALLY good ones, when they are in office. Washington almost quit in frustration after one term, Jefferson was hated by the Federalists, and FDR was referred to as “that man” by his enemies. It is only in hindsight that people appreciate what they have done.

“If a president can accept that his friends will always bay for more and his foes will always bay, he stands a better chance of remaining vaguely sane than if he makes the (totally understandable) mistake of expecting people to thank him for his work.”

I think that is good advice for everyone. The desire to be appreciated is a common human emotion and it can lead to anger, frustration and self-pity if it is not fulfilled.

But that is sin.

Everyone can probably relate to the “what have you done for me lately syndrome.” You have just pulled off some herculean task, at home or at work, and ten minutes later they want something else. It is easy to feel under-appreciated.

But we need to remember who we are really serving.

As Christians we should not seek our approval and appreciation from men, children, friends, or husbands. In fact, Jesus is recorded as saying in John 5:41 "I do not accept praise from men.” And the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Thessalonians “We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.”

Wanting the approval of men is normal, needing it is deadly. Even the best person may forget to thank you. God never will.

Love,
Jill