People Pleasing

I love how Lou Priolo explained the snare of pleasing people in his book Pleasing People: How Not To Be An Approval Junkie. Pleasing people isn't a bad thing at all, but it is a terrible one when we want to please people more than we want to please God. It is a form of the ugly pride we have when we want to maintain  a 'perfect' image of ourselves before people.

Let me share with you the reasons he says it is not even possible to please people:

1. Each person is different and therefore, by pleasing some, you will inevitably displease others
2. People's selfishness distorts their thinking and raises their expectations above that which you can reasonably fulfill
3. Most of them are regenerate and believe you to be  "foolish" and "strange"
4. Even among Christians, judgmental attitudes and critical spirits are all too prevalent
5. Even Jesus the Perfect Man, did not please everyone
6. They are fundamentally incapable of being pleased by anyone or anything other than Christ

So what do we do now? 

We replace our desire to please people with an even greater desire to please God. Here are some of the ways we can do this:

1. Having faith (living with conviction that God keeps His promises)
2. Walking with God (cooperating with God in our transforming of the mind and therefore righteous lifestyle)
3. Living in holiness
4. Doing good works
5. Acquiring knowledge and wisdom
6. Showing gratitude through worship
7. Having godly ambition (looking forward to your reward in heaven)

It takes humility to walk this walk of pleasing God, but God gives us the grace to do so because it is all for His glory.