Man Pleasers Don’t Need Courage
“Therefore,
brothers, just as you learned from us how you had to live in order to please
God, and just as you are living this way now, we ask you — indeed, united with
the Lord Yeshua, we urge you — to keep doing so more and more.” 1 Thessalonians
4:1-2, Complete Jewish Bible
If you have
ever been to China, which I am thankful for Derek Prince Ministries that my
good wife Laurie and I did go in 2002, as we snuck in Mandarin Chinese Bibles
and Derek’s Mandarin Chinese translated books, you will realize one thing.
Courage is
not something you talk about. Courage is something you do.
For you
English experts out there, I know that “courage” is a noun. Thank you, Sister
Mary Matthew, for teaching me that subject in English while in 8th grade at St.
Patrick’s Elementary School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. But in this case, I want to
use it as a verb. An action word means to actually do something about
something.
And to have
courage, to “do” courage, you can’t be a man-pleaser.
High School
for most of us was probably traumatic. In fact, now it begins in middle school,
and even younger, when kids face opposition, ridicule, and meanness. Our
grandsons and one sole granddaughter (Dylan Joy, a senior this year!) will most
likely face that again, knowing this school year is about to start again for
them here in North Carolina and Florida. Lord, protect them!
When I was in
high school for the wonderful years of 1969-1973 at Columbus High School
(Catholic) in Waterloo, Iowa, the Lord taught me one major lesson that I have
used for my entire life.
If you are
going to live for Him, you can’t be a man pleaser. And if the world is going
one way, brother and sister, you can bet the Lord is going the other.
When kids
wore the latest fashion to be “cool”, I never did.
When kids
teased and ridiculed the “last one on the pecking pole”, I chose to be that
one’s friend.
When talk at
the school lunch table was of “what they did last Friday night with that girl”
(yes, this was a Catholic high school), I did not participate.
No drinking
for me. No carousing in the back seat. No disrespect to my parents and
teachers.
Was I a
“goody two shoes” as some would say? Or a “brown-nose” as was another common
slur towards those who chose to do right?
No. The Lord
had given me the courage to trust Him and let the others go their own way. I
had already learned that you reap what you sow, and I could foresee what they
would reap after all their “wild oats” sowing.
We have to at
some point in our life choose to be “God-pleasers” and not seek the approval of
men. They fade away. They die in their sin. But we who choose Him, and His ways
will reap eternal life in heaven, while at the same time live a fruitful and
victorious life while yet on this planet.
"If you
decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather
serve — and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from
the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land
you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God."
The people
answered, "We'd never forsake God! Never! We'd never leave God to worship
other gods.
"God is
our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He
did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along
the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. Just for
us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land.
"Count
us in: We too are going to worship God. He's our God." Joshua 24:15-18, THE
MESSAGE
We need a
whole lot of God pleasers today, men and women who will stand for
righteousness, peace, and courageous enough to say something, write something,
do something when it is necessary to do so.
A man pleaser
doesn’t need courage. It is far too easy to not do anything about anything.
But you - have
some courage! DO some courage today, in and around you.
Following
Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, is a hard road as we know it is at times. But
when you keep focused on Him and His Word, it goes a whole lot better, along
with the courage that He puts in your heart.
Ahava
and shalom,
Steve
Martin, Love For His People founder
