The Lord wants us to love, care and pray for people while we witness. Pleasing them doesn’t seem to be on the menu. Why have I, or even us as the body of Christ, feel the need for more likes, follows, or friends that all praise and lift us up? There’s no need to be puffed up when we’re children of the King.
The King has already given us sustaining life. He is the living water and the bread of life. He nourishes us and quenches our thirst. The only thing that we should be hungry for is to grow His kingdom without worry. There is no need to worry about what others think, and we don’t need to feel the need to please them.
John reminds us that as we start to question our self-worth, we can find nourishment and revival in God’s Word. It restores and preserves us.
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:27-35 NIV
The Lord is our water that takes away our thirst. He is the bread of life that leaves us without hunger. We get so caught up in the lies of men and stare loneliness in the face when we aren’t pleasing them. We feel that working towards relationship is in vain at times, because we’re often still standing in the same spot we started, in the same drought that we were in before we tried to be more and to do more.
Sometimes we think that the Lord is telling us or guiding us to do things, but we continue to sit still, lost on the direction or the words. We feel hungry, unfed, but maybe that’s Him telling us to go deeper in The Word and truth.
Dear Lord, You are the bread of life, the water that takes away our thirst. Thank you for reminding us of who sustains us in times of doubt. It’s not by ourselves, but it’s by You. You are the sustainer of life. Thank You, Lord. In Your Name, Amen.
Life is full of choices and wandering. The Lord called me in my desert and poured life and truth into me through conviction by the Holy Spirit. I am now called to grow His kingdom by sharing the joy I have found in my king. Most days you can find me with my children as I disciple them through Bible study and homeschooling among other volunteer opportunities in our community.
Thanks for this article; from a struggling people pleaser.
I think we lean towards being people pleasers because we are called to love. It’s the boundaries that we need to set that are the hard part sometimes.
Thank you for reminding me who is my focus, my purpose, my drink, my goal (all unto Him) as I desire to be a living sacrifice.