That's not going to be popular
Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1 : 10 (GNB) |
How much do you care about what other people think of you? Do you try and keep up a certain appearance for your friends, co-workers, family or church? Are you worried about what a passer-by on the street or assistant behind the checkout is thinking? Do you modify your behaviour to fit in?
If you do any of these things our passage this week encourages you to stop. We are told not to care about what other people think. Instead we should only care about what God thinks. This might seem a little vague so let's expand on this a little.
We know that sometimes the things that God has planned for us can be very different from the social norm. Actions such as putting others before ourselves is the opposite to popular opinion. These differences can sometimes make others who don't share God's views feel uneasy, cause a bit of tension or make you less popular. However as we are encouraged in the passage if doing the right thing, and following God makes us unpopular, this is something that we should be willing to accept
However as we are told here and in many other passages throughout the Bible, just because we are different this isn't anything to be ashamed of. Our uniqueness isn't a bad thing that you should try and cover up, or try and hide or keep secret. In fact God wants us to proudly display our uniqueness regardless of what the neighbours think! You never know with time and the right encouragement, they might even begin to realise that your relationship with God is a good thing. They might even realise youre not so weird after all.
This week don't settle for what is popular, settle for what is right. Embrace your uniqueness that you have through God. Have a great week.
This week's song is We Believe by Newsboys. |
Header image by: Joe the Goat Farmer via Flickr