Devotionals for the Heart: God's opinion is the only one that matters

 

Work Unto the Lord
A devotional by Hannah Benson

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”—Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

As a writer, I want everyone to love what I write. My hopes are that they will be touched, moved, pointed to Jesus Christ. But the reality is when I’m focused on pleasing people, then I’m focusing on the wrong thing.

As much as I hate to admit it, no matter how hard I try, there is always going to be someone who I can’t please. If my goal is to please mankind, then I’m going to work with a short-sighted mindset. My thoughts may range from “What does [this person] think of this?” to “Did I please [so-and-so]?”

And as a result, by trying to please everyone, I’m going to find myself dissatisfied because not everyone will be pleased. But the Bible says in Colossians 3:23 to “work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men.”

We are called by God to fulfill His calling in our life. Sure, our work is meant to build His Kingdom and to encourage other believers, but we are not to focus on finding approval from anyone other than God. When a servant does the bidding of his master, he shouldn’t worry about what those around him think. He needs to be focused on obeying his master, regardless of what other people think.

I was reminded a while ago that even though Jesus was perfect, He didn’t please everyone either. In fact, He actually had people who hated Him and His work.

We can learn from Jesus because He focused on what His Father (God) thought of Him instead of what others thought of Him. If Christ had focused on the disapproval of a few, what might’ve happened to His ministry? Instead of focusing on people-pleasing, Jesus focused on doing the will of His Father, which allowed His ministry to grow into what God had ordained it to be.

I want to encourage you today with these words: Don’t focus on pleasing the crowd but instead, zero in on pleasing Your Creator (God). He alone has called you to good works and retains the right to define you.

It can be so tempting to compare ourselves to someone else, but the truth is, we’re not to compare our best to someone else’s best. God has gifted each of us with individual talents. In the realm of writing, for example, my style of writing may be different than yours, but God can use both of us to minister to people.

When we’re following the call of God and truly giving Him our best, then that’s enough. Even if it looks different from someone else’s best.

Sometimes when I’m sitting down to write, I struggle with wondering if it is “good enough” or if it will impact anyone. I’ve learned though that when I do my best and give the results to God, He’ll do the rest. Most often when my writing feels inadequate to me, God will send someone who shares with me the impact it had on their life. This reminds me that apart from God, my work is inadequate. Only God can give my work meaning and allow it to have an impact on people.

It's hard for me, but I’m slowly learning to trust God with the outcome and to remember to always work to please God, not mankind (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Let’s Pray:

Dear Father God, please forgive me for forgetting that Your opinion is the only One that matters! Forgive me for living a life to please others when I should be living to please You. Thank You that Your opinion is the only One that matters. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Proud” by Influence Music and Melody Noel. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Hannah Benson is a Jesus-follower who’s passionate about sharing the love of Christ with others. 

From the time she could hold a pen, she was writing. But it wasn’t until she was sixteen that she began to follow God’s calling to pursue writing seriously. Hannah is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). In addition to fiction, she also writes devotionals and has been published on other websites. Her prayer is that her readers leave deeply encouraged and more in love with Jesus.

When not writing, Hannah also enjoys being involved with local theater companies, with a primary focus on Biblical theater. She wants to show the love of Jesus through the creative arts.

You can read more of Hannah’s writings on her blog or on her Instagram where she strives to write content that leaves others feeling encouraged.

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Connect with Hannah:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hannah-Lynn-Writer/100073790792576/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahlbensonwrites/