Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
They sound simple enough, and the logic is not hard to grasp.
Doing it... well, that is another story.
There are so many people who we want to please -- as teachers, we want to have good relationships with our departments and the university, with our co-teachers and the other foreign teachers, with our students and with all of the people who we cross paths with. We want to build good relationships with them and to serve them.
And it's not a bad thing to want good relationships -- but it's a terrible primary focus. Because at some point you run into a wall and realize that you can't please everyone, and you certainly can't please everyone and serve Him.
We were all just kind of smacked with that reality a few days ago and have been reminded of those words.
So, some things for you to keep in mind as you think about us...
~That we would seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
~That we would strive for excellence, not to prove ourselves, but to glorify Him and to truly serve.
~That He would continue to show favor in our relationships with the university and with student.
~That He would capture the hearts of those who are antagonistic to our being here.
~...and that we'd all be wise about when to open our mouths and when to keep them shut!
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