Day 124: I Will Gladly Ring My Own Bells Just For Your Approval!
Read: Hebrews 4:14 - 16, 1 Thessalonians 2:1 - 7
One of the things that fascinates me so about the human experience, is
the need for acceptance. In our everyday life’s we have this
overwhelming urge to be approved by the people we come in contact with.
In school we must do our best in academics or we would be looked upon
with unfavorable eyes, both from our peers and professors. At the
work place we must act with the utmost dignity and respect, or our own
fellow workers and employers would cast a cloud of division from among
us. In our homes we must keep a spirit of unity and happiness so
everyone approves of your ability to govern your home well; i.e. the
bills, the food on the table, the clothes, family peace.
In our
everyday lives we seek after approval from people. We long for someone
to let us know that they are our friends and they have our best
interests at heart. We have a list of things that we do to win someone’s
love and compassion. 1. We buy them presents. 2. We'll give them money
“out of the blue”. 3. We take them around when they need to travel. 4.
We gladly give out Holiday and birthday and anniversary cards. 5. We
cook for them. 6. We baby-sit the children. 7. We clean for them. 8. We
call them just to see how their doing. And the list goes on and on of
the sheer multitude of good deeds we do to win someone’s approval. We
will definitely make whatever sacrifices should become necessary.
Even when it comes to family
members, we strive to do our very best to make sure the family stays
together and loves one another. The saying goes that blood is thicker than water. The things we do to fit in to our own families. Now when we
take all of these things into account, we have done our best to be
approved of the people, and have built ourselves a good reputation, we
begin to use this status to our advantage. We begin to think of all the
people on our “good” list and distinguish whose button’s we can push to
get ahead of the game of Life. "I have earned it so I therefore I have also deserved it."
Oh, how hard will we work, how far will we go, what sacrifices will we
make, what temptations will we so willingly yield to achieve the
singular end of man's approval? What an incredibly heavy burden we
will gladly accept upon our shoulders. One of the joys I have about the
love of God towards His people is God's approval that was freely opened
for us on Calvary, thru the ultimate sacrifice of His Son Jesus. 15 'We
have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He
was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. 16 So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.'
Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus, I don’t know of a more persistent struggle in
life than the issue of how we think about the approval or disapproval of
people. You made us for intimate, rich relationships - those beginning with
you, and then with one another. But the ways of this world and my growing desire
for its approval threaten to overwhelm me. Daily I find myself yielding
greater and greater ground to this threat and I am pleading for
assistance. By the power of the Holy Spirit, grant us greater assurance
that, in you, we already have God’s full acceptance and everlasting
approval. Through the Holy Spirit, grant us greater freedom from living
as posers, pretenders, and performers. By the power of the Holy Spirit,
grant us greater joy in loving and serving others even as you love and
serve us. So very Amen we pray, in the beauty, bounty of your name.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ
David Crowder*Band - How He Loves (Official Music Video)
www.youtube.com
Pre-VEVO play count: 702,013 Music video by David Crowder*Band performing How He Loves
Read: Hebrews 4:14 - 16, 1 Thessalonians 2:1 - 7
One of the things that fascinates me so about the human experience, is the need for acceptance. In our everyday life’s we have this overwhelming urge to be approved by the people we come in contact with. In school we must do our best in academics or we would be looked upon with unfavorable eyes, both from our peers and professors. At the work place we must act with the utmost dignity and respect, or our own fellow workers and employers would cast a cloud of division from among us. In our homes we must keep a spirit of unity and happiness so everyone approves of your ability to govern your home well; i.e. the bills, the food on the table, the clothes, family peace.
In our everyday lives we seek after approval from people. We long for someone to let us know that they are our friends and they have our best interests at heart. We have a list of things that we do to win someone’s love and compassion. 1. We buy them presents. 2. We'll give them money “out of the blue”. 3. We take them around when they need to travel. 4. We gladly give out Holiday and birthday and anniversary cards. 5. We cook for them. 6. We baby-sit the children. 7. We clean for them. 8. We call them just to see how their doing. And the list goes on and on of the sheer multitude of good deeds we do to win someone’s approval. We will definitely make whatever sacrifices should become necessary.
Even when it comes to family members, we strive to do our very best to make sure the family stays together and loves one another. The saying goes that blood is thicker than water. The things we do to fit in to our own families. Now when we take all of these things into account, we have done our best to be approved of the people, and have built ourselves a good reputation, we begin to use this status to our advantage. We begin to think of all the people on our “good” list and distinguish whose button’s we can push to get ahead of the game of Life. "I have earned it so I therefore I have also deserved it."
Oh, how hard will we work, how far will we go, what sacrifices will we make, what temptations will we so willingly yield to achieve the singular end of man's approval? What an incredibly heavy burden we will gladly accept upon our shoulders. One of the joys I have about the love of God towards His people is God's approval that was freely opened for us on Calvary, thru the ultimate sacrifice of His Son Jesus. 15 'We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. 16 So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.'
Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus, I don’t know of a more persistent struggle in life than the issue of how we think about the approval or disapproval of people. You made us for intimate, rich relationships - those beginning with you, and then with one another. But the ways of this world and my growing desire for its approval threaten to overwhelm me. Daily I find myself yielding greater and greater ground to this threat and I am pleading for assistance. By the power of the Holy Spirit, grant us greater assurance that, in you, we already have God’s full acceptance and everlasting approval. Through the Holy Spirit, grant us greater freedom from living as posers, pretenders, and performers. By the power of the Holy Spirit, grant us greater joy in loving and serving others even as you love and serve us. So very Amen we pray, in the beauty, bounty of your name.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ
David Crowder*Band - How He Loves (Official Music Video)
www.youtube.com
Pre-VEVO play count: 702,013 Music video by David Crowder*Band performing How He Loves
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