Galatians 1:10 – “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”  

This verse pierces me, because I see so many of my failings and my sin in it.  A great many of my outward sins have been rooted in a desire to be approved of or affirmed in some way, outside of God.  From times where I neglected relationships because I did not feel affirmed in them, to even desiring affirmation through ministry, this particular sin of the heart has been deceitful and destructive in my own life.

Why is seeking the approval of man a big deal?  Because at its core, it is a denial of the gospel and the goodness/all-sufficiency of God as our treasure.  In the gospel, Jesus takes all of our sin, and gives us His perfect righteousness.  In Christ, we are adopted as sons and daughters of the Living God, who looks down on us with perfect acceptance, affirmation, and love.  So at it’s core, the desire for seeking the approval of man is us telling God that He isn’t enough, and what He has accomplished for us isn’t true – that we need to add to it.  So we look for approval in the world through things and people instead of God.  This never works of course because things go away, and people are just sinners like us, so they will always let us down eventually.

How do we fight against this?  At every opportunity we seek the glory of Christ.  We eagerly acknowledge our weakness and struggles to ourselves and others, to show that in all things, if there is any good in us, it belongs not to us, but to Christ in us.  Lastly, we become forgetful people.  We forget ourselves and set our mind on Jesus, and His glory.  We remind ourselves that in God, through Jesus, we have been affirmed fully, and we proclaim that gospel message to our own heart and to others.

In what ways have you been seeking out the approval of others?  What does God say about How he feels about you in the gospel?  How does the truth of the gospel free you from the need for affirmation from others, and free you to pursue selflessly loving others?

I hope this message finds you well.  Know you are prayed for, and loved perfectly by our Father.

Grace and Peace,

Adam