Day Ten: That she would live to please Christ, and not others
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. (Galatians 1:10)
My oldest daughter is our big helper; she’s always quick to help when asked, and wants to do whatever she can to please us. But as you can imagine, this has a dark side. When she knows we’re disappointed in something she’s done, it crushes her. A stern look can send her into tears. As nice as it is that she wants us to be happy with her behavior, I want my little girl to see that pleasing us isn’t the point. If we were trying to please people, we wouldn’t be servants of Christ (Gal. 1:10). Instead, we live to please Christ—and this is something we can do only when we’re relying on His righteousness.
Father, thank you for reminding us our “goodness” is never good enough—that we must always rely on Christ’s perfect righteousness to stand before you. I pray my daughter’s desire would be to please you before anyone else, that all she does would be to bring glory to your name, and she would do this first as foremost by trusting in the gospel. Amen.
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Aaron Armstrong is the author of Awaiting a Savior and Contend. He and his wife, Emily, have three kids (two girls and one boy). Aaron blogs daily at bloggingtheologically.com.
