The Idolatry of Approval

Hi Hump Day followers from all over! With my new website I am so excited to have more people enjoying the devotions—or perhaps gritting their teeth on some of them?!

This last week we were off up in the Santa Fe National Forest enjoying the high mountains and the crazy rock formations, wildflowers, critters, and Jemez Falls, about a 70’ drop and makes quite a curve before it hits the water down below. A wonderful day in God’s wonders of creation. And that, my friends, brings me to idolatry.

Why? Well, I love God’s creation, it speaks to me in wonder and awe. Like the blood moon a few nights ago, but it can be easy to idolize creation as well, forgetting WHO created all of it! There are other kinds of idolatry that are just as destructive and we often don’t even realize it happening to us. If you watch any news, and especially with Hollywood folks and sadly our politicians, you wonder “who are you really trying to please?” The Scripture below from St. Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia says it best:

“I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” —Galatians 1:10 [NLT]

We try so hard in pleasing others that we forget to please our Creator, truly the ONLY one we have to please! The Lord of heaven and earth made you, has a purpose for your life and will never break a promise, never leave you—even if you screw up! You and I know what happens with our screw-ups in life, we can get fired, lose relationships, etc. So why not keep it simple: please the Lord and the Lord alone. Even Jesus made mention of this when He said, “I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness, because I obey him, and I don’t just try to please myself.” [John 5:30 CEV] In other words, Jesus is saying “I’m living for an audience of ONE.”

People pleasing is really idolatry. Just look at the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” [Exodus 20:3] That means anything that you put before God now becomes one of your ‘gods’ — an idol that you, perhaps unintentionally, put before God. It can be so many things, that new car or boat or RV! How about career, finances, and yes, even another person. Anything that becomes ‘numero-uno’ in your life is an idol.

Let’s continue in the 10 commandments, where #2 says “You are not to make any idol or image of other gods. In fact, you are not to make an image of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.” [Exodus 20:4] Anything that replaces God in your life is an idol, period.

And this leads us to why people-pleasing is so destructive. Because we want so much for them to love us, accept us, agree with us, etc., we inadvertently or purposely, adopt their thoughts, emotions, even their opinions on life and faith. Have you ever gone so far as to stay away from anything about faith and God because you wanted to please this person who thinks God is a joke, or doesn’t exist? In our culture today it is very easy to do this if we are looking for approval and acceptance. Sadly, no matter how we try to please, if we continue and let these people take “first place” in our lives, we’ll lose a bit of ourselves every day. This will erode our integrity, honesty, character and yes, sadly, even our faith in God.

We need to adopt St. Paul’s words from above and quit trying to win the approval of others. Instead, we need to please God in all that we do for in Christ, we are already approved, and even more so, adopted as son and daughters. What more do we need?!!

Yes, just about everyone desires to be liked and accepted. After all, Jesus was quite succinct about unity and caring for one another. But we don’t want to be tempted to go beyond the boundaries that faith in Christ gives us. Instead, we need to adopt an “audience of One” for there is where we are grounded, we are safe, and we are unconditionally loved and accepted no matter what! When you think of it that way, why would you want anything else?

In closing, I want to share a link for you to a song that is now running through my mind and will probably stay there throughout the night—music does that to me. (Thankfully Al sleeps very soundly!) Below are part of the lyrics and here is the video link to “Audience of One” by Big Daddy Weave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFxVfAZj5Q0

“I come on my knees to lay down before you 

Bringing all that I am, longing only to know you

Seeking your face and not only your hand

I find you embracing me just as I am

And I lift these songs to you and you alone

As I sing to you in my praises make your home

 To my audience of one, You are Father, and you are Son

As your spirit flows free, let it find within me a heart that beats to praise you.

And now just to know you more has become my great reward

To see your kingdom come and your will be done, I only desire to be yours, Lord.