1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you listening. 3 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 2: Today's topic is about gaining favor in the eyes of 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 2: God and others. We'll return with the devotional after brief 5 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 2: message from one of our sponsors. Gaining Favor in the 6 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 2: Eyes of God and Others written and read by Carrie Eiberger. 7 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around 8 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 2: your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 9 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 2: Then you will win favor and a good name in 10 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: the sight of God and Man Proverbs three, verse three 11 00:00:58,480 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 2: and four. 12 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: The sad truth is it sincerely upsets me when someone 13 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to like me. And though I've certainly struggled 14 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: with people pleasing, I've come to the conclusion that my 15 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: concern over how another may perceive me isn't just about 16 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: pleasing the person. Not to mention, I know people are 17 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 1: impossible to always please, but I'm beginning to believe the 18 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,919 Speaker 1: majority of my mission to receive favor in the eyes 19 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: of others is rooted in the desire to do the 20 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: right thing, not necessarily by them, but by God, but 21 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: to be honest. Discerning the God honoring way can be 22 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: tricky at times, because my heart and mind conceive me. 23 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: That's true for all of us. We may tell ourselves 24 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: our words and actions are justified and right, but too 25 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: often our human flesh naturally prompts us towards selfish motives. 26 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: So occasionally, when someone seems to have an issue with me, 27 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: start to wonder if they are sensing such behavior and 28 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: are justified and they're ill thinking and feeling. On the 29 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: flip side, if someone seems to be pleased with me, 30 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: if I appear to have their favor, it sometimes serves 31 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: as an indicator I'm on the right path. But then again, 32 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: this thought process is flawed as well. Do you personally 33 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: ever fall into people placing or simply and strongly desire 34 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: to gain favor in the eyes of others? If, like me, 35 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: you do find yourself aspiring to find right standing with people, 36 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: why does it matter to you? Though? The more important 37 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: questions we should consider are what really matters and who 38 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: really matters. We certainly can't always place people because we 39 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: are all flawed and imperfect, but we aren't called to 40 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,640 Speaker 1: place people anyway. We are called to love them. God 41 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: is the only one we should ultimately aimed to please. 42 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: He alone is who we ought to set our hearts 43 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: on pleasing. He is who we ought to set out 44 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: to please because of our love for God, because He 45 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: first loved us. And what is pleasing to God is 46 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: our loving Him and loving others. Our goal should not 47 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: be to please others, but to love others for the 48 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 1: sake of God and our love for Him. In our 49 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: quest to transition from pleasing to loving, our goal should 50 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: also be to love the way God called us to love, 51 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: the way Jesus loved. And I'm sure you're closely familiar 52 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: with this passage, but he perfectly describes how He longs 53 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: for us to love. In Verse Corinthians thirteen, verses four 54 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: through seven, read love is patient. Love is kind. It 55 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: does not envy, It does not boast. It is not proud. 56 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: It does not dishonor others. It is not self seeking. 57 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. 58 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. 59 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. This 60 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: type of love is a tall order, no doubt, But 61 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: this is a replica of what love looks like in 62 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: the eyes of our loving Lord. These are the attributes 63 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: we should aim for in learning to love, and as 64 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,239 Speaker 1: we learn to love more and more like God commanded 65 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: us to love, we will find favor in His eyes 66 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: and of others. Intersecting faith in life, Proverbs three, verse 67 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: three encourages us to let love and faithfulness never leave you, 68 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet 69 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: of your heart, and verse four claims, then you will 70 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: win favor and a good name in the sight of 71 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 1: God and man. So if you desire to find favor 72 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: with the Lord and those around you, let love never 73 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: leave you. Instead of seeking to please people, make it 74 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: your life mission to love better practice filtering your thoughts, decisions, words, 75 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: and every action through the First Corinthian's love filter. Are 76 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: your actions patient, humble, kind, selfless, drenched in truth and holiness. 77 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: Are your words that of protection, trust, hope, and perseverance. 78 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: This is love. While it's not necessarily your wrong desire 79 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: to want to please others, the heart and goal behind 80 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: this desire should truly be to love them as God 81 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: would love for the sake of God. Determine to root 82 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: your desire to gain favor with those around you and 83 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: your desire to please God. Let that desire to please God. 84 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: Feel your fire to love like God, and in loving 85 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: like him, you may gain favor with others, but your 86 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:16,479 Speaker 1: striving to please people will be replaced with refreshed and 87 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: confident rest that you are pleasing in the eyes of 88 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 1: our good God, and that is all that really matters. 89 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 1: If you liked what you read today, I think you 90 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:32,840 Speaker 1: will love my latest book, When Overworry, Conquer what shakes you, 91 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: and Soar with the One who overcomes. You can find 92 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 1: it on Amazon or your favorite online retail site. I 93 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: hope it blesses you. The Crosswalk Devotional is a production 94 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you liked what 95 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: you heard today, please take a second to rate and 96 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: review this podcast in your favorite podcast app so that 97 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: more listeners like you can find the show. For more 98 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit us at lifeaudio dot com.