Each of us wants to find approval. This devotional reading looks at whether we should seek man’s approval or God’s.
Nuggets
- Our goal should not be to impress others.
- We should seek God’s approval as we cannot serve God and mankind.
One determination we can use to decide if we have an inward or outward religion is from whom are we trying to gain approval. Are we looking to please men or please God?
Boston gave us two verses to review. He wrote, “Some aim at approving themselves to men in their religion (Matthew 6:2), and others study to approve themselves to God (2 Corinthians 5:9).
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Let's Put It into Context
To read devotions in the Habitual Holiness of Heart and Life theme, click the button below.
Here is a running list of nuggets for the theme.
Devotions in the Outward and Inward Religion study
Here is a running list of nuggets for the study.
We are using Boston’s sermon as the foundation for this series.
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Approving Ourselves to Men in Religion
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Mt. 6: 2 ESV)
Our goal should not be to impress others.
We don’t gain salvation by our works. Doing good works for others, while we are to love them, is a worldview way to take our focus off God and put it on gaining the praise of others.
It is all about motivation. Are we giving to the needy to show them God loves them? Or are we tooting our own horn?
We know that we can’t serve God and man. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Mt. 6: 24 ESV).
Macgregor showed us what serving two masters looks like. He wrote, “Alas! how many act as though they bad made a bargain with Christ; that part of their nature should be given to Him, and part retained for the world and self. In certain circumstances they seem devout and earnest believers, in others frivolous and worldly.”
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Let’s face it. Most of what we do, we do so we can get a reward.
If we are doing it to earn the praise of others, we’ve already gotten our reward. Unfortunately, that is a temporary reward.
We want the eternal reward. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3: 23-24 ESV).
Glossary
We want to go for the inheritance. That is what lasts for eternity.
The only way we get that is if we seek to please God. That needs faith.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11: 6 ESV). Faith is a gift from God and a work of the Spirit that enhances the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives and distinguishes us from others.
Glossary
Trying to please others is not what God is wanting for us. He wants us to focus on Him.
Approving Ourselves in Religion
“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him” (II Cor. 5: 9 ESV)
We should seek God’s approval as we cannot serve God and mankind.
We have to make a choice as to who we are going to serve — God or mankind. We can’t do both.
If we try to serve mankind, we aren’t serving God. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 1: 10 ESV).
The King James Version translation is interesting. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (II Cor. 5: 9 KJV).
Yes, it is going to take work. Satan’s pull to have us seek earthly praise and reward is strong.
Evans told us what we are to do to please God. He wrote, “All things that are spiritual are acceptable to God. He loves a spiritual mind; it is the reflection of Himself.”
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God is pleased with us when we do His Will. His Will is that we become as He is.
We want to hear well done, good and faithful servant.
We get the well done when we work out our salvation. That is another way to say we need to navigate the Sanctification Road.
Sanctification is the transformational process of the mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration; gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- Perfectionmeans we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
Glossary
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
We will when, “Whatever you do, [we] work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col. 3: 23 ESV). This means we are to fully submit to God’s Will.
It boils down to have we lived for Christ?
- Has our character been changed to be like His?
- Do we have the inward life of Christ?
- Does our outward life reflect Him as well?
Price said that God deserves our entire, honorable service. He is Sovereign God. Why would we expect Him to deserve anything less?
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Making the Connections
We have to determine what our motivation for inward religion is. Are we saying we are following God when we are just trying to do the right thing? Or are we following God fully because He is God?
Look what Manton said. He wrote, “One main difference between the sincere and the hypocrite is in the end and scope.”
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Manton expanded on that by using this verse. “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you” (II Cor. 1: 12 ESV).
What is Paul saying here? We can only brag if we live simple, godly lives. That is the only way our consciences are going to be clear.
The only way we will earn an inheritance for eternity is if we are living our lives for God now. We can’t wait until we think Heaven is upon us. We have to be sincere now.
How Do We Apply This?
- Please God in every aspect of our lives.
- Diligently and conscientiously perform all our duties as disciples.
- Recognize Christ as our Master so we may efficiently work for Him.
- Grow in grace and knowledge.
- Find the area of ministry to which God is calling us.
- Be consistent in our devotions.
- Glorify God.
- Serve Christ for His sake.
- Long for Christ’s return now.
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Father God. We long to be serve You in ways that please You now. We want to diligently follow Your Will for our lives. Amen.
What do you think?
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