Approval Ratings

12.22.2009

John 12:42-43 42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. New American Standard Bible

Hard passages can be arduously narrow or strenuously steep or both. Hard passages can be filled with such withering truth that it’s almost a relief to turn away rather than put up with the blistering heat.

Nearly every day (I try to read the Bible, think about it, and journal my thoughts about it everyday) I start out by asking God to open my eyes to the truth in His word so that I may know it and live it. Nearly every day I go off to work or off to some interaction with people and I go having read and retrieved something out of the Word for my edification. Nearly every day I interact with others and then and then at some point nearly every day I play back the game tapes of how I conducted myself as a child of God among my fellow men. And nearly everyday I realize just how pathetic my performance was and how I’m gonna try harder tomorrow to live up to the blistering heat of the truth and I go through the same process over and over nearly every day.

And then I hit a hard passage like John 12.42-43 and realize, wow, I am one of the rulers who believes! But because of my undying desire to be liked, accepted, befriended, etc, etc, etc, I find myself not confessing Him because I don’t really want to be a religious pariah among those with whom I interact. And so I hit this passage and think about my approval ratings and where and why they are; and I realize, I love the approval of men and get skittish around the approval of God. I know the truth, I love the truth and I want the truth but I fight this approval ratings battle nearly every day.

Father God,

Only You can save me. Only You can free me from performance and the desire to be adored by my fellow man. Help me God! I confess I love their approval because all too often I act like it; but I want Yours, and there is no comfortable way to ride the fence – it gets me nowhere and saddle-sore in places I’d rather not mention. Help me to be the real deal I ask in Jesus’ Name, amen.