Last week I spoke about two ways we continue “earn” even as a Christian: we try to earn God’s salvation through serving and we try to earn God’s approval to receive His blessings. This week I want to explain two more.
The third way is the desire to earn man’s approval. As an observer of leaders I see this happening all the time. Let me give you a few examples. Pastor Bob has been a senior pastor of a multi-service church. Many people tell him that they love listening to his messages because they are very practical and scripturally based. However, during an eight-week series on suffering, the people expressed their dissatisfaction with the sermons because it made them uncomfortable. Subsequently the attendance decreased as well as the offering. People didn’t like the thought of suffering; they wanted to hear more about God’s blessings. Therefore Pastor Bob, in order to appease the congregation and make sure the budget was consistently met, never spoke of suffering unless there was an overemphasis on victory.
Jim grew up in a home with a strong father, whose motto was to work hard and never expect to be thanked for something you should already be doing. Jim craved for his father’s approval but never got it. Years later as a worship leader, he enjoyed the applause of the audience whenever he led them to the throne of God. He enjoyed being in front of the congregation week after week, sometimes with a guitar in hand or behind a piano. He finally got the affirmation he so desperately wanted. He enjoyed walking off the stage with the senior pastor saying, “Good job, Jim!”
These are two examples of Christians trying to earn man’s approval. They enjoy the attention one receives. In their minds they are doing something right when they get the approval of those around them. But do you see how a Christian can begin to live for the wrong things when there are wrong priorities? A Christian does not need to seek man’s approval when God has already approved a believer. Thus when a Christian seeks man’s approval over God’s approval, their understanding of who they are is skewed.
The fourth way is the desire to earn one’s own approval. Larry is very gifted in coordinating large events for the church. Whenever a big event is coming up, whether it’s for Easter, Christmas, or a special outreach, the leadership of the church turns to Larry. After the event is over and the church is celebrating the grace of God, Larry goes into a mini-depression because, in his mind, the event wasn’t good enough. There was always more that could have been done. When people come up to him and say, “Great job, Larry. Thanks for all your efforts,” he diverts the compliment and says, “It was okay, but next time I’ll do better.” In Larry’s mind, he is trying to live up to his own lofty expectations.
Those who are trying to earn their own approval have a tendency to debase themselves. They are sometimes categorized as overachievers. A straight 4.0 on their report card is not good enough. The house is never clean enough. A work project will never meet one’s own standards. The result is a negative attitude towards any accomplishment because they believe they could always do better. The result is a distorted understanding of self.
Christ came to make people whole. This is the basis of the word “shalom” which means peace. But shalom doesn’t mean the absence of chaos; it means the completeness or wholeness of a person. Christ brought peace, He came to make people whole. Thus when one comes into a relationship with Christ, the person is complete but at the same time on their way to becoming complete. It sounds ironic but true. We don’t need anything else except Christ to be who we are supposed to be.
Therefore if we were to go back to the three non-negotiables of a systematic way of reading the Bible, continual prayer dialogue with God, and times of reflection, it should result in three things: intimacy with God, integrity of character, and identity with Christ.
When our identity is secure in Christ, there is no need to earn His salvation, no need to earn His approval, no need for man’s approval, and no need for one’s own approval. Who we are is made complete in Christ.
This is so important to understand as a disciple because I continue to see Christians tired and without joy for any one of the four reasons or a combination thereof. When one lives to find his/her identity outside of who they are in Christ, the result will always be exhaustion, confusion, and loss of identity.
Here’s something more dangerous. When a leader tries to “earn,” those he/she mentors will also try to “earn,” thus creating a downward spiral of Christian chaos that separates people from who they are in Christ. Christ is categorized as only sufficient for salvation but true freedom will become elusive. This spiral needs to stop and it will begin when you and I understanding our true identity in Christ and teach those around us as well.
Questions to Think About:
Have you been trying to earn man’s approval despite God’s complete approval, taking your eyes off Christ?
Have you been trying to earn your own approval, thus feeling exhausted and confused?
© Gary Lau 2013
All rights reserved. This article may not be distributed, forwarded or duplicated without prior permission from the author.
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