God Pleasers or Men Pleasers.

Religious leaders and their religionist followers are more about pleasing men rather than pleasing God.

The religionist pew-warmers seek to please God by pleasing their denominational leader. The denominational leader seeks to please God by pleasing the denominational hierarchical agenda, and pleasing the people he leads. The end result is that both are not pleasing God because at the root of this pleasing tree is that we are trying to please God by living up to some man instituted standard that is suppose to make us okay with God.

Being caught in the pleasing cycle above will cause us to forget our identity and who we are because of Christ in us. We forget that we a a loved child of God and as His loved child we are accepted by him irregardless of whether we please the religious mindset or not. To many of God's people are prisoners of religious law-keepers instead of being free in God's grace.

That is what happened to the Apostle Paul when he was known as the "Pharisee of the Pharisees" as he was climbing the ladder of religious success...moving up in leadership in the Jewish religion...of all places, what better place to be pleasing God than to be pursuing religion...but, God stopped him cold-in-his-religious- man-pleasing-tracks. Paul then realized that pleasing religious men did not equate to pleasing God.  "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).  Paul learned to stop the religious folly and accepted that, in Christ he is already pleasing to God.

But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (1 Thes. 2:4)

For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:43)

Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he? (Isaiah 2:22)

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:9)

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, (Colossians 3:23).

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. (Colossians 3:23-25)

Listen...do you hear God whispering to you that you are accepted by Him, and pleasing to Him without your pleasing religion by striving to keep religious agendas? Do you hear him saying..."step aside and allow Me to be God in your life so you will affect the across-your-path people you meet, for me"?

You will accomplish more for the kingdom of God by resting in Him than you ever could by trying to satisfy religion.  Rest in Him! It is amazing what God can accomplish through you without your striving to help Him.

To rest in Him necessitates that you give up control, stop playing God and allow Him to be in charge.

It is foolish to really believe we are in control, it only takes a moment, a sudden turn of events, something unexpected, a situation which we cannot impact and the reality hits home. We are not in control! Why is this obvious fact so difficult for people to grasp?

No man is in charge, instead our loving Father, the Perfect One, the Loving One, the God of Grace is working all things together for his good.

My prayer is...God, you are my loving Father, Jesus, You are my loving Savior, I am Your loved child, liberated and depending on Your all powerful amazing grace and kindness. Therefore,  I am a part of your "called out ones" living for Your glory. Work Your work through my eyes, my mouth, my thoughts, my actions, my life to fulfill Your purpose in the Community of the Redeemed within the Community of Humanity. Loving Father I relinquish all control and all results to You, for you are "mighty to save."