Thoughts about Earning Approval

One of the things that I have struggled with for a long time is trying to be good enough. This goes by several names - self-image, identity, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-acceptance. It is something that I think all humans struggle with. A lot of my study and prayer life has been focused on this issue over the past several years. If you look back at my memory verses a lot of them were reveal things that God was trying to teach me.

Recently I came across a sermon that really made me think about this and put some ideas together for myself. It was a podcast by Dr. Timothy Keller. My daughter first got me reading and listening to Dr. Keller and his books and sermons are wonderful. One night I came home from my night class and Thomas was at a recital and I was by myself. As I sat down to eat supper I thought I would just listen to my iPad and so I randomly picked one of Dr. Keller's podcast. It had a very unusual name that if I had searched for it I would never had chosen it, "The Sickness Unto Death." But I listened to it several times. I told just about anyone who would listen about it. I played it again and took notes. You find this sermon on iTunes by searching for Timothy Keller podcasts. You can also find it the link for sermons from the church that he pastors in New York City, Redeemer Presbyterian. Here is the link: http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/sickness-unto-death


Based on the words of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 9 and the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 4 and Galatians 6, it is as wrong to be concerned about the approval of others as it is not to care about the approval of others. Paul said, I don't seek man's approval, I don't even seek my own approval because I don't need either one. Christ has done everything I need to win approval. I need to focus on how much he loves me and the more I think about this and the more his sacrifice become a reality in my life the more my old nature and ways of trying to seek approval will fade. I won't think about what I or anyone else thinks, it won't enter my mind to think about those things.

This is just a small summary of the ideas from that wonderful sermon. I urge everyone to listen to it. We are God's children, loved simply because we are his children and not by anything we did.