Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 12:3, “And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also.”
I imagine that of all the reasons and causes that bring people to the couch of the therapist, the issue of pleasing people would be one of the most common. Some might struggle with wanting to please only themselves, others might feel like failures in trying to please or be pleased by their spouse, and a whole host of individuals would be considered the classic people-pleasers whose habit is to acquiesce to the wishes of others. But, regardless of whether the perceived issue is one of narcissism or extreme selflessness and conflict avoidance, or anything else in between, and despite whether you have ever spilled your life out to a trained professional or not, every single one of us struggles with the idea of pleasing people. We like to be pleased. Some find a disproportionate amount of satisfaction in always pleasing themselves while others feed some sense of insecurity in always doing what others think they should. King Herod certainly fell into this second camp, as his behavior was swayed by the subjects who hated him and his authority in order to compensate for his unstable and insecure relationship with the Emperor. But Herod was also intently focused on looking out for number one. And if his greatest fulfillment came in the form of harassing Christians, killing James, and seizing Peter to snuff him out as well, then so be it.
We follow Christ. He is our Savior, Lord, and Provider. We also have families, coworkers, and friends. They are our points of contact and source of constant interaction and relationship. And we are individuals. Our ego and will never leave our side, or the forefront of our thoughts. In there somewhere, amidst Christ, people, and our self, is the perfect mix of whom to please, and when and how. The easy answer (and the correct one) is to always put God first. What we have to figure out is how to do that and what it looks like. Our nature is not just going to go away, nor is Jesus’ claim to our heart’s throne. When we subject our will to His, we experience that sense of the two becoming one. And it is pleasing, both to the Creator and to His creation. Let that be all the analysis you need.
As we seek Him today, elevate your standards as to what pleases you, and why it does so.
Have a pleasant Tuesday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
