To Encourage You

1 Samuel 10:25-27 “Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows said, ‘How can this man save us?’ And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.”

Are you a “people pleaser,” i.e., someone that wants to be liked?  Most people are like this, at least to a degree.  Truth be known, if we think someone doesn’t like us, it’s rare that it doesn’t bother us.  We use the term “peer pressure” to describe how people will often conform their behavior to the behavior of others so that they can fit in with the crowd. Most people don’t want to be viewed as “different,” or “odd” in any way.  Often, we think of this in terms of school age children, but it affects everyone to some degree. We just like to “fit in,” for the views of others in our lives about us are important to us, whether we want to admit it or not.

But is that a good thing?  Should we strive to be liked by others around us? How should this issue affect our lives?  For some perspective on this we have the account above about the man Saul, who was Israel’s first king.  God gave the people this king because they wanted a king, although this wasn’t God’s first choice for them.  Nevertheless, He gave them want they wanted. Saul was a standout among the people, physically speaking – tall, dark, and handsome, if you will.  Most of the Jews were thrilled with God’s choice, and they shouted out “long live the king” when the prophet Samuel presented him to them (1 Samuel 10:24). But then, in the verses above, we note that not everyone was pleased.  There were some that actually despised him.  Although God had said that Saul would be the one to save Israel from the hand of their enemies the Philistines (1 Samuel 9:16), these men mocked and said, “How can this man save us?”

This makes me  think about One who was so much greater than Saul.  When God sent a Savior into this world and testified to His greatness by His miracles and His words, did everyone accept Him? Obviously, the answer was “No!” for the Scriptures tells us that although Jesus, “came to his own . . . his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).  They mocked Him, hated Him, and eventually crucified Him.  And the vast majority continue to reject Him to this day.  Consequently, one of the things Jesus told His followers was: “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). 

So should we be surprised, as the followers of Christ, if people don’t agree with us?  Should we be concerned if we are not “liked”?  Should we expect everyone to agree with us and befriend us if we follow the Lord with our lives and obey Him by reaching out to them in love?  Hardly.  Actually, we should expect just the opposite. In fact, the Scriptures tell us plainly, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).  In light of this, if we are followers of Christ, maybe we need to ask ourselves why we aren’t treated worse than we are! 

May the Lord keep us from the trap of “people pleasing,” if our desire is to truly follow Him.  If some people despised God’s chosen king Saul, and if many more people reject and despise the spotless Lamb of God that God sent to this earth to save us from our sins, why would we ever expect everyone to like us, even if we were to follow every command Jesus gave us (though we fall so far short of this every day). 

May God help us to love and obey Him, regardless of how well “liked” we are as a result. And may He help us to love our neighbors, all the while understanding that we just might not receive the same love from them in return.