‘Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
We can all fall into the trap of people-pleasing. We want other people to like us and to approve of what we do. But the trouble with people-pleasing is that we begin to measure our value by the approval and recognition we receive. And if we don’t get any, we can feel like we’re not worth anything. But our true worth comes from God, not anyone else. Jesus said: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows’ (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV). God doesn’t want us to live trapped by other people’s opinions. When we live by other people’s expectations of us, we give them control over our lives. God wants us to live for Him. Paul said: ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ’ (Galatians 1:10 NIV). We need to think about our motive for doing things. Are we trying to please people or live for Christ? Are we serving to gain recognition in the world, or to follow the call of God? Paul wrote, ‘whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ When we feel hurt because our work and serving is going unnoticed, we need to remember that God sees everything we do. The Bible says: ‘God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them’ (Hebrews 6:10 NIV).
