Quite often, I receive emails regarding issues people face, or have counseled them one on one for hours, only to realize that the fundamental reason of their problem is that they haven’t received acceptance from people around them as much as they had expected. And that is the one of the greatest setbacks I have seen people experience in their walk with God.
Is It Important to Have Favour With Men?
Of course it is very essential to be accepted by men if we live in a society. Bible talks about scores of examples of people like Jesus, Samuel, Joseph, Daniel, and David among others who had favour with men during their life here on earth. God in His divine mercy and according to His sovereign plans will cause people to be in agreeable terms with you. But hoping that the same person would continue to favour you for a lifetime is a completely wrong intention. The same Potiphar who favoured Joseph, had got him thrown in prison, and the same King Dairus who loved Daniel much, gave the order for him to be cast into a den of lions.
What’s Not Right About Pleasing People?
There are some people who naturally feel the need to be extra social and will go to any extent to be accepted by people or to get into their good books. Most times, it feels like the person is addicted to pleasing people.
Is that a problem? Yes, because if your life is revolving around pleasing people then you can never be a servant of Christ. (Gal 1:10)
How Much Accepted Was Jesus?
Our greatest motivation to emulate is none but Christ Himself. So how much was He accepted? Did He have a lot of fan following? Yes surely. But He had acceptance with very few. And Jesus did nothing in demand to people’s satisfaction. He was surely moved by compassion on multiple occasions, but not once did He do a miracle to gain people’s admiration. And when He did do a miracle, He hid from the praises and flattery of people.
So do we have to have the world accept us? The answer is pretty much clear here. If we have to pursue a lifestyle like Jesus, we have to run away from ungodly acceptance from people.
Has it become necessary to please people in the kind of world we live in? What are the challenges one might face if one intentionally steps back and does not compromise on his/her principles? Share your heart here. We would love to hear.
Can i come at this from another angle bro – with all due respect to the views mentioned above 🙂
When a child is hungry – you don’t refuse him food. yet when a child seeks attention you say look at him – he is seeking attention – there is something wrong.
human beings are created primarily to seek attention from external source.
Problem is society and sometimes the church teaches us that its is wrong –
A Soul’s need to be affirmed is Legitimate – when we condemn that in people – they will find that in illegitimate sources of affirmation and affection – resulting in those broken cisterns we find mentioned in the bible.
instead if we throw light and show them their need and teach them to look for it legitimate sources – they will instead grow up to be powerful men and women who are able to love and not control out of fear – they will grow up-to be powerful men and women who dont seek the general public’s affirmation and need and be content in their identity —– Binsu.Robinson.
Hi Binsu,
Thank you for sharing your opinion, and I completely agree with the same. When we accept people as they are, we indeed get to direct them to our saviour. The problem with it is that people keep changing, so their acceptance will continue to change to. So deriving motivation for all you do and say from people could be a very tricky thing indeed. Regards,
Priji