I AM ... AcceptedSample

Living From Acceptance, Not Toward It

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 NIV)

Once we understand that God’s acceptance has already been given, a practical question emerges. If we are already accepted by the One whose opinion is final, what are we doing with all the energy we were using to earn approval?

Paul’s letter to the Galatians suggests that many believers are still spending considerable effort managing the perception of people around them.

Approval from others is not wrong to desire. The problem comes when that desire quietly becomes the engine that drives our decisions. We soften what we believe, avoid conversations that might cost us, and shape our identity around the room we are standing in rather than the truth of who God says we are.

Paul had learned to measure himself by a different standard. He was not indifferent to others, but he had stopped needing every room to affirm him.

His confidence rested in the verdict already given by God, not the verdict still forming in the minds of those around him.

This is what it means to live from acceptance rather than toward it.

You can serve without a hidden agenda, speak the truth without excessive qualification, and remain steady when you are misunderstood, because the ground beneath you has not moved.

Prayer

Lord, Your verdict is the only one that is final. Teach me to live from that security and serve others freely, without needing their approval. Amen.

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This is part of our "I AM ... / I FEEL ..." series of paired readings. Read the complementary reading "I FEEL Rejected" to gain the other perspective on this same topic.

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