People pleasing isn't of God

If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ - Galatians 1:10

In the commandment of “make disciples of all nations”, we can be so caught up in doing anything we can to get those around us to come and follow Jesus - including changing who we are and what we do to please them. 

For alot of my life, I thought that was just what you had to do. To effectively fulfill the great commandment, I believed that everyone had to like you. I morphed into the person that others wanted, so that I could get into their life and pray I get an opportunity to share Jesus with them. Meanwhile, I was also trying to make everyone else like me, so my reputation of being “friendly” and “bubbly” stayed in tact. 

Here’s a hard truth - no matter what you do, it is near impossible for everyone to like you, and God doesn’t expect this of us. Even Jesus had enemies, people that hated Him - the religious leaders, the Pharisees, the scribes - pretty much everywhere He went, there was someone who hated Him.

Yet He still brung hundreds to know Him, and made the greatest sacrifice of all to save the world. So, if even Jesus wasn’t friends with everyone, how are we supposed to?

Everything comes from God; everything exists by his power; and everything is intended for his glory. - Romans 11:36

It isn’t our responsibility for people to be saved, it is solely God’s. God has entrusted us with His good news, and our responsibility to share it with those we come across and be like Jesus to them. God is the only one who can open their hearts, convict them of their sins, and bring them to Himself. 

If you are trying to please others, be encouraged that God doesn’t need that of us. He has set us free of the prison of people pleasing, and wants us to live out who we are in Him without tailoring ourselves to anyone’s liking. 

By just being yourself, you are being the witness of God that He designed you to be. Whether people like that or not isn’t your problem. 

Hear more on my podcast, "Living Hopeful", available on Spotify and Apple Podcast.