September 6, 2012
My Devotion
My Heart
Validation Achieved
Teresa Jenkins
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives live has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. …those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:1-7
I have spent my whole life seeking validation in my relationships, in my performance as a mom, as a friend, as a wife, as an employee and as a Christian. The statement above, “the mind governed by the flesh is death” jumps out at me like a snake. There are more ways of desires of the flesh to expose themselves than the obvious immoral ones. I have come to the place where I am sick and tired of people pleasing myself into further and further frustrations, depression, and loneliness. Talk about condemnation. There is no way any one person can please everyone all the time, pleasing one person at a time all the time is a futile pursuit as well.
It has taken me a long time to finally realize that there is only one person’s opinion of me that is my business and should be my number one priority 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Absolutely everything I think, everything I do, everything I feel should be a direct result of what Jesus already sees in me. Because I am in Jesus, by my own confession of my inability to pay for my own sin, and accepting His sacrifice for me, the me that is without Jesus is hidden so deeply in Jesus now, Jesus is all Jesus can see. Even though I mess up constantly and I know the truth about my daily goof-ups, Jesus looks at me and sees Himself.
On my own, I can try to do the best job possible, and still fail, still mess up, still make mistake after mistake, and I will spend more time beating myself up than in doing what I know is the only way to be good or better at anything put before me to do. Jesus said, the He is the vine and we are the branches. The branch cannot cut itself off from the vine and expect to produce anything good, much less anything at all. When a branch is cut off the vine, it withers and dies. Though we may not die a physical death right away like a branch, our spirit dies, we try to hang on to spiritual truths, going to church, praying, reading at the Bible, but it’s like trying to put a branch back on the vine with band-aids or duct tape. We still whither up like a leaf unable to receive moisture and nutrients to live.
Why does it get like this in so many Christians? Because it takes a long time for some of us to look for Jesus with the eyes of faith. We want validation so badly we look for it, work for it toward only what we can see in the flesh. But the flesh is weak, and most likely the ones we are seeking validation from are too busy seeking their own validation. Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing. When are we ever going to let that truth set us free from the bondage of slavery of people pleasing validation we will never get enough of to be valid member of the human race.
Now I am not saying that what other people think of us is not important, it’s just not what gives us the validation we desire so deeply. But what others see or think of us should be one thing only. When people see us their opinion should be, that our life in Christ is obvious, that we live an move and are who we are is completely buried in Christ. Whether they agree with it or not, they can’t deny that we have surrendered absolutely every part of who we are to Him. We seek favor of those around us, we seek a good report of what people think of us, we want our family and friends to accept us, but on our own it is impossible to please anyone, but in Christ when He becomes our number one priority to please, even in all our faults He does not condemn us but lifts us up out of self-condemnation and any other outside condemnation into His favor and blessing and establishes the work of our hands no matter what it is our hands are given to do.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17
Slaves (employees, workers) obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance form the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. Galatians 3:22-25
The number one priority is live for Christ, as Christ, and in Christ, then everything else will be as it should. Validation achieved.
In HIS Time
Teresa
My Devotion, My Heart by Teresa Preston | ISBN # 978-1-61566-460-3
http://mydevotionmyheart.blogspot.com
