Worn Out From Seeking Approval | Short Sermon Series
Opposition from sinners can be persecution for the gospel. But it can also be the wearying, everyday struggle of relationships with fallen people: coworkers, bosses, children, spouses, in-laws. All the people God has called us to love can also be the people who make us want to lose heart.
We struggle beneath the weight of their expectations and disapproval. We become discouraged when God calls us to a life significantly different than a peer’s. For many of us, following Jesus is a daily choice between serving the opinions of people and serving our Father God.
This is why Jesus is our example. Never once did He make a decision for human approval. And never once did He stop loving those same, hurtful humans. He lived in the incredible tension of God’s leading and God’s love. He was committed to obeying the Father, which inevitably resulted in disappointment for some of His followers.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes four kinds of soil. (Matthew 13:1-23) Only one kind, the good kind, received the seed of truth. Talking about this parable, someone once made an incredible point: Even Jesus disappointed people. Even Jesus was rejected by three-quarters of the people who heard His word. What makes us think we will fare better than Him?
Jesus obeyed God’s leading on His life, and because of His obedience, we get to be called children of God. I am so grateful He did not lose heart! What a reminder when I get weary and broken down by this world: He was consistent even unto death. I’ve not been asked to die for my world. But I have been asked to die to myself. (Galatians 2:20) Will I lay down my need for human approval so I can run this race well?
Devotional by Phylicia Masonheimer @proverbs31ministries
We struggle beneath the weight of their expectations and disapproval. We become discouraged when God calls us to a life significantly different than a peer’s. For many of us, following Jesus is a daily choice between serving the opinions of people and serving our Father God.
This is why Jesus is our example. Never once did He make a decision for human approval. And never once did He stop loving those same, hurtful humans. He lived in the incredible tension of God’s leading and God’s love. He was committed to obeying the Father, which inevitably resulted in disappointment for some of His followers.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes four kinds of soil. (Matthew 13:1-23) Only one kind, the good kind, received the seed of truth. Talking about this parable, someone once made an incredible point: Even Jesus disappointed people. Even Jesus was rejected by three-quarters of the people who heard His word. What makes us think we will fare better than Him?
Jesus obeyed God’s leading on His life, and because of His obedience, we get to be called children of God. I am so grateful He did not lose heart! What a reminder when I get weary and broken down by this world: He was consistent even unto death. I’ve not been asked to die for my world. But I have been asked to die to myself. (Galatians 2:20) Will I lay down my need for human approval so I can run this race well?
Devotional by Phylicia Masonheimer @proverbs31ministries
Designed by @beth.low