Approval vs Obedience (scattershooting muse)

Ok, so here's a new one (meaning I'm not copying out of my past)...

I struggle daily with this concept that comes from Galatians 1:10 - "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Now hear me out, I'm about to take this verse out of the context in which Paul was writing it. I'm going to expand it to my everyday struggle with trying to obey God and at the same time trying to live with approval from man.

Today, I was asked to spend 2-3 minutes and open our staff up in a prayer time. So my inner conversation goes wild with thoughts of making that time cool and great (video clip, favorite song, etc)...so that folks pat me on the back and say, "good job today." My competitive side overtakes my obedience side of walking humbly before my God. So I continually ask myself, how do you do both?

I don't know...so I pray. And as simple as that sounds, I think that's what God calls us to do. If we are in prayer, which is communing with our Creator, our hearts affection is re-directed from me to Him. I pray James 1...for wisdom that only God can give. I pray Ephesians 1...that He "may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better." I pray Psalm 100..."Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth...For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." I pray 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18...continually and without ceasing.

Sound familiar...it's also referred to as worship. Woe is me when I place idols (which often includes my self and thoughts of what others will think of me) before my God. The thing that I must then do in obedience is pray these same passages over others. God, through the Holy Spirit, will not cease in giving me names of people to pray for. If I were to give Him my entire day, He would gladly fill my thoughts with names of those in my circle of life to lift up to Him.

How is this Approval vs Obedience? Looking back at Paul's statement...I now can look at those people that I live life with and know that I'm not speaking to them in order to impress them, but I'm speaking to them knowing that the Spirit within me has lifted them up to our Father. In obedience I'm now doing what the Lord has required of me, not for their approval, but as a steward of what the Lord has given/done for me!

If you've read this whole thing, you might be saying, "I sure liked the old, thought out stuff better." To which I reply, "bless you!"