Mar 19, 2016
Most of us have a longing to please others, otherwise, we wouldn't be very social. Someone who doesn't care at all about the opinion of others is called a sociopath. That desire to be social, however, can become a crippling addiction and hold you captive. Let's look at the problem. When I homeschooled my kids, I taught them a fact was something true, something you could prove, or a set of events that really happened. On the other hand, an opinion was someone’s interpretation of those facts. People observe you and form an opinion of you and of your choices. You can't control that, even though I'd love to make everyone like me. I recall when my daughter was little. She'd become furious with me if I chose to do something she didn't like. As a mother, I knew I must pray and keep the future in mind as I made decisions for the family. That meant being strong when my decisions made my kids angry. In the first century, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Corinth. Some of the church members had been baptized by Apollas and some by Paul, and they took sides, dividing up the body of Christ. One person would say he couldn't participate in something because Apollos would not do that while someone else would insist on following a different teaching from another teacher. So Paul wrote the Corinthian church. Let's look at what he said. 1 Corinthians 4:3 - 4 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges. Isn't' that interesting? Paul brought them back to God, the one person who matters. God holds the position of judge, so he's the one who matters. Getting to Paul's position can be tricky. Today I have Jennifer Slattery. She's going to share how the Lord helped her overcome her addiction to being a people pleaser.