The Bible verses having the deeper and longer-lasting impact on me have been those the Spirit used to bring me needed correction or direction. They set my life on a new trajectory. Common to most, I have struggled with comparing my life with others. Typically, that happens when I am feeling sorry for myself, wondering why I am not getting the perks others do.
Years back, I became troubled about fellow ministers who received more praise, promotion, and privilege than I. Some I knew personally had not been investing as much effort in their ministry as I was. Driving on the freeway in southern Oregon, I asked God about that. The Holy Spirit somehow orchestrated for me to be reading a particular Bible passage in my devotional time. One verse in the passage suddenly became so personal, it felt like Jesus was talking just to me. I cut my teeth reading the King James Version and here is how it read, How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? (John 5:44, KJV). It was like saying to me, Bob, how can you expect to get to the next town North when you are heading South? Jesus used a similar contrast when He said about a different topic, You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both (Matthew 6:24, MSG)
I then understood the root of my problem had little to do with what was troubling my surface thoughts. I stood in greater awe of what other people thought of me than the sense of awe I had for God and His approval. The part that slapped me hardest in the face was the first part of that verse which was the question, How can ye believe or have strong faith in God if you are more concerned with what your friends or peers think of you than you are with God’s approval?
In the full sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus teaches two fundamental things that will block anyone from experiencing genuine joy or happiness. One is the desire to have the approval of others and the desire to get material wealth by our own ingenuity. There is nothing inherently wrong with them SO LONG AS we keep them at their proper priority level. To keep them within those boundaries requires constant, disciplined, fixed focus dependence upon God. I realized then, and must frequently be reminded, it is the condition of my heart that determines the authenticity of my joy or happiness, not what I think, tell myself or in my behavior. Jesus put it this way, you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength (Mark 12:30, NLT2). Loving my neighbor, and every other good thing, flows out of having that as my foremost priority in life.
The Puritans in American history lived as if they stood before an audience of One. They lived as if only one opinion mattered and it was God’s. That was how they understood Jesus lived His life on earth. Paul charges you and I to do all our work, whatever our situation, as a representative of our Lord. Jesus modeled for us how to live in this world with all its distractions, yet influenced only by His love for His Father. With His power working in us, we too can come to live as He lived.
Has seeking the approval of others been subtly robbing you of the happiness you dream of experiencing? If so, I highly suspect it is because you have become distracted and your vehicle is heading in the wrong direction. I urge you to make serious deliberation to determine the steps you need to take in order to change the direction on the path you have been traveling. I am fully confident this will be well worth it because it is what Jesus taught brings His joy.
Audience of One. I love that principle and attitude.