The Trap of People Pleasing

Day 257: Galatians 1:1-24

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” - Galatians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In the short term, it is easiest to try and please everyone. Yet as time passes, we see the impossibility of it.

Paul comes straight at the churches in Galatia. He was shocked that they were already turning away from the pure Gospel, taking the easy way, which always claims to be the best way.

Yet here’s the thing. We will always compromise the truth when we seek to please everyone. And to top it off — we will fail miserably.

James Dunn says it well when commenting on this verse: “Paul implies, clearly, that his commitment to Christ as his Lord was so complete, his obligations to Christ so absolute, that his actions as an apostle of Christ were directed by him alone, and that any other course would be unthinkable to him.”

As Christians, our primary goal should be to please our Lord Jesus instead of people. We will never come to the point where the Good News of Jesus can be improved upon, no matter what the mainstream voices are saying.

Our Lord Jesus is the one that will take care of us during this life and as we step into eternity.