{"id":1801,"date":"2021-01-15T12:36:03","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T17:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?post_type=resource&p=1801"},"modified":"2021-01-15T12:36:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T17:36:03","slug":"living-to-please-god-not-others","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/living-to-please-god-not-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Living to Please God, Not Others"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the biggest struggles I have is disappointing people. Shoot, my mom could whip me seven days a week, take away all my video games or ground me for a week, and I\u2019d be fine. But if the words \u201cI\u2019m disappointed in you\u201d came out of her mouth, it\u2019d crush me!<\/p>\n

I remember a time a member of a church I served got really fired up \u2014 in a good way! They were ready to conquer the world. Over time, they had opportunities to serve in a few areas. Looking back, they did a pretty good job meeting a number of our church\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

That is, until they didn\u2019t get something they wanted. In the blink of an eye, they were gone. All of the time invested counseling them, discipling them and providing avenues to serve seemed wasted. More than that, we now had extra holes to fill within a week. What\u2019s more, they launched a pretty strong social media attack filled with lies and threats.<\/p>\n

As a Barnabas to pastors, I hear similar stories all of the time. And a lot of the pastors are a lot like me. They\u2019re not hurting as much because someone is gone or worried they can\u2019t feel empty spots; they wrestle with a feeling of having disappointed someone.<\/p>\n

In the Gospels, there\u2019s the well-known story of the \u201cRich Young Ruler.\u201d A man comes to Jesus to ask what it takes to have eternal life. Jesus walks him through some of the Ten Commandments, to which the man responds, \u201cI have kept all these from my youth\u201d (Mark 10:20 CSB).<\/p>\n

Jesus, moved by love for the man, replies, \u201cYou lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me\u201d (Mark 10:21 CSB).<\/p>\n

If this happened today, the man would probably head to Google to write a bad review or pen a passive-aggressive post on Facebook. Instead, 2,000 years ago, Mark tells us: \u201cHe was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions\u201d (Mark 10:22 CSB).<\/p>\n

The man was disappointed in Jesus\u2019 reply. Not because Jesus was wrong, but because, at the core, he didn\u2019t get what he wanted. He wanted his cake and to eat it, too, we could say. Jesus turned to his disciples to use this experience as a teaching opportunity, but the point for us as we aim to live like Jesus is pretty simple:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay to disappoint people, at least if you did the right thing. What\u2019s best for others might not be what they want. When they don\u2019t get what they want, they might leave like the rich young ruler. It hurts, but it\u2019s okay. The last thing you need to do is give in to demands just because you\u2019re afraid to upset or disappoint someone.<\/p>\n

Notice a few things about Jesus in Mark 10:17-27 (or the cross-references in Matt. 19 and Luke 18):<\/p>\n