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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 Chris Galatians 1:10
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men Colossians 3:23
Paul wrote these words, and other similar verses below, to the early church in an effort to point out the difference between the old way of Jewish law, and the new measure of faith which is believing in Jesus Christ. He wanted new believers to understand that the judgement of mankind by human standards was not what Jesus taught. He wanted new believers to know that living a Christ like life was more important that what any other human thinks of us.
In our everyday lives, we worry too much about what others think. I am as guilty as anyone. Today, we have all sorts of measures with which we can compare ourselves. We watch TV and find out we can use any number of products to look thinner, younger, or wealthier. We can cook better, have more fun, have more friends. We can drive a faster or fancier car or have a better house. In viewing these images, we value ourselves as less. We are not enough.
Viewing social media allows us to see the lives of our friends and contacts. While the intent is for all of us to be happy for the achievements of others, some may look as these images of people posting their vacations, new homes, new cars, even new babies, with envy and sadness because they do not feel they measure up.
In the end, it is not the measurements created by mankind, or that we create for ourselves, that are important. It is that we know our works serve our Father in heaven; when we believe we are doing the right thing and serving His purpose.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect Romans 12:2
And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord Ephesians 5:10
When things are not going well we may find it difficult to maintain the standard that we have set for ourselves, or to reach a goal we have determined we should reach, in order to measure up. If we continue to encounter obstacles and tests, we might want to examine the goals we are trying to reach. Are these goals or measures the ones that God would have us complete? Are these measures or standards good in the eyes of God? Paul reminds us that God may use circumstances to test our understanding of what is good in the eyes of God. When we find ourselves questioning which path to take, how to make a choice between options, we should ask the question, “Am I using an earthly yardstick for this decision or is this in service of God?”
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