Whose Approval Do You Seek?

Our identity dictates whose approval we seek.  Growing up, I was raised in a home by both my parents.  Because I identified Mark and Darla as my parents and I was their son, when they gave me tasks to perform I needed to ensure the end results met their standards.  I might have thought the bathroom was clean enough, but their approval is what mattered.  If I cleaned a window for half an hour, time spent did not grant me their approval.  Should the glass remain smeared and streaked, it would not be acceptable.  I sought the approval of my parents so I could move on to something fun!

If our identity is in Christ, it is imperative we seek His approval and walk in the way that pleases Him.  History proves God's people often lose sight of their identity in Him.  It is often written of the children of Israel and certainly applies to God's people today, that they did what was right in their own eyes.  Though God brought them out of bondage in Egypt with a mighty hand, it was not long before they wandered from Him.  Jesus has purchased us with His precious blood, but the flesh has a way of forgetting we are not our own.  When we live seeking our own approval or the approval of others, we have lost sight of our identity and much more still.  Consider only some of the implications of living for the approval of anyone but Christ:

• We will fall far short of God's plan and purpose for His glory in our lives.
• We will not experience on earth all we could of Him, and remain devoid of His power.
• Our lives will be marked by dissatisfaction instead of contentment.
• We will be unable to be who God designed us to be.
• It will be impossible for us to accomplish the good works God created us to do.
• We will be hamstrung, paralysed by the opinions of others.
• Our reward in heaven will be significantly diminished and we will suffer loss.
• If you do not seek to do God's will, it may be you have not been born again or saved!

One aspect that marked the life of Christ on earth is He always did the will of the Father who sent Him.  He said in John 5:30, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  As the only begotten of the Father, Jesus identified Himself as God's Son.  He did not seek the approval of men to gain their sympathy or to win their allegiance, but sought the approval of His Father.  Jesus said these sobering words in His teaching to those who followed Him in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."  How important it is, therefore, that we would do the will of the Father in heaven, living for His approval alone!  Otherwise, we might disqualify ourselves from the abundant life on earth or in heaven God offers us.  It is by grace we are saved through faith, and not of ourselves.  No man can earn heaven through working for it, but it is God's love that compels us to work.

Whose approval do you seek?  Your life will provide the answer!