Is it Possible to Please God and People?

Every person has wrestled with “people pleasing.” Adam was interested in pleasing Eve. The Apostle Paul, describing the average husband and wife, said, “A married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.” (1 Corinthians 7:33 NLT) and “A married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:34 NLT) Paul describes the reality of married life. The husband or wife who doesn’t care about pleasing their spouse will be miserable, and their spouse will be even more miserable. “Happy Marriages” comprise husbands and wives who seek to please each other. People pleasing is not a bad thing. Parenting is often about people pleasing. A doctor’s “bedside manner” is likewise about people pleasing. Customer service is about people pleasing. People pleasing is not bad, but it can go too far and slip into fearing people. King Solomon wrote, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.” (Proverbs 29:25 NLT) People pleasing, when it goes too far, slips into fearing people and fearing people is a NO WIN proposition. When I wrestle with “fearing people,” I ask myself “Who am I going to please? Which group am I going to please?” For example, When I started pastoring, the dress code for pastors was a jacket and tie. A pastor didn’t need to worry about “people pleasing.” As society became more casual and “casual Fridays” became the trend, pastors wrestled with pleasing the jacket and tie people or the casual Friday people. “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” [Marcus Aurelius] Why do we care so much about other people’s opinions? Jesus’ follower’s primary aim must be to please God. Pleasing people is often also pleasing God, but sometimes “displeasing people” equals pleasing God. Paul stated it this way: “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 ESV) Here’s the principle: Please people when it pleases God, displease people when pleasing them, would displease God. Stated another way: Always please God, even when it displeases people.