John 12:43 For they love praise from men more than praise from God.

What a sad, yet common, commentary. This is indeed common everywhere around us, and we are prone to it ourselves. Social media feeds into this a great deal, with people caring more about the comments on their social media than they do about what their Creator says about them. For that matter, many people have no idea what their Creator says about them! To get out of this trap, the first thing that is needed is a relationship with God. The average person on the street has no idea how to acquire such a thing, so those who do know Him have the privilege and responsibility to share that information. We can’t save anyone in our own strength, but we can share with them what they need to know to turn their heart toward God and open up to Him. However, it doesn’t stop there. It really is a matter of values and priorities. Many people who know of God don’t value that knowledge enough to want to know Him personally, and sadly, that includes many Christians. That’s what John is saying here. We tend to care more about the people we can see and hear physically than we do about the God who created us and loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, and that is tragic. We need to be honest about the priorities we actually live by, rather than the theoretical priorities we know we should have, and repent when they are wrong. God is indeed merciful, but we generally need to ask for that mercy!

And this certainly applies to me. Having retired from school teaching, my priorities are much more in evidence, because they govern my daily schedule. Thankfully, this morning devotional time is my first priority, schedule-wise, and I certainly intend to keep it that way. The question then becomes, what do I do with the rest of my day? I still haven’t gotten into a writing schedule for my autobiography, and that fact bothers me. Many things insert themselves into my day, but often enough they are actually divine appointments, so I’m not to complain. This morning is a case in point, since a demand/request was made of me that I resented at first, but which will enable me to do something else I know I really need to do. I’m manifestly not good at planning, so I need to be all the more careful to recognize and follow the plans God has for me, I really do want to hear Him say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your absolute faithfulness toward me. Help me be faithful in Your service, valuing Your opinion of me more than anything else, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!