2 Samuel 6:21 David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel – I will celebrate before the LORD.”

I’m sure it would be a stretch to say that David didn’t care what anyone thought of him, but his focus was certainly in the right place. We tend to put on all sorts of shows for the people around us, when we should be living for an audience of One. That’s not to say we are to ignore the people around us, but it is to say we should be willing to do anything for God, who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. When we look to people before we look to God, for help, approval, or anything else, we’ve got it wrong, and need to repent of misplaced priorities. This isn’t a trivial problem, because fearing man, that is, people’s reactions, is a snare. (Proverbs 29:25) Even complete secularists recognize that you can’t please everyone all the time! Paul hit the nail on the head three times on this point, in 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, and Colossians 3:23. Our focus in everything is to be on the Lord Jesus Christ, striving to love and serve Him in every detail of our lives. If we will do that we will bear abundant fruit for Him, with countless blessings for us.

This is something I’ve known for a long time, but I haven’t lived by as consistently as I should. That should give me understanding and patience toward those to whom I minister! This issue is perhaps the biggest single obstacle to personal evangelism, at least in Japan. Christians fear how people will react when they share the Gospel with them, so they don’t begin to try. I just read an article about how the Japanese practice extreme compartmentalization of their lives, so they have various groups of people they are involved with who are essentially non-intersecting. For example, there is probably no one in their “work” group who is also in their “church” group. The problem is, they’re satisfied with that! Such interconnection might create unwanted frictions, and they place a very high value on external harmony. I need to deal with that, but attacking it head-on would be counterproductive. I need to help them see that when they are truly living their lives for Christ, they will want everyone else to know and love Him too, and that will override all other considerations. Anyone who lives like that is going to be an effective soul-winner!

Father, You know better than I do that I’m describing an ideal to which I’ve not attained fully myself. Help me live more and more in line with Your perfect plan for me, loving You with all I am and loving my neighbor as myself, so that You may be pleased with and glorified in me. Thank You. Praise God!