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Title: Please the Lord
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:9
We all want to be liked. We check our phones to see who noticed us, who agreed with us, who praised us. Paul knew that pull. Yet he writes, "We make it our aim to please him." Not to please the Corinthians. Not to please himself. Him, meaning Christ. That single aim straightens out every crooked path.
The words "make it our aim" come from a Greek word for ambition. Paul is talking about his life’s driving force. Before conversion his ambition was to destroy the church. Now his ambition is simpler and harder: to hear Christ say, "Well done." Everything else, whether praise or persecution, is background noise. When Christ is the target, you stop shooting sideways.
You will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, Paul says a verse earlier. That thought does not terrify him; it focuses him. He knows Christians will not be judged for condemnation, yet every deed will still be examined. Wood, hay, stubble go up in smoke. Gold, silver, precious stone survive. Therefore he builds with materials that last. Pleasing Christ is simply building with what endures.
This changes how you handle criticism. If your goal is to please your neighbor, you will zig-zag your whole life. One day they love you, the next they want you crucified. But if you are already answering to one Master, the crowd’s volume drops. You can listen, evaluate, improve, but you do not need to panic. You are not their Messiah, and they are not yours.
It also changes how you handle success. A full sanctuary, a promotion, a clean report from the doctor, these are good gifts. Yet they are not the verdict. The smile of Christ is the verdict. When you keep that straight, success stays a gift instead of becoming an idol. You can enjoy it without clutching it. You can lose it without falling apart, because the final "well done" is still future.
So ask the plain question today: Will this action please Christ? Not, will it impress my coworkers? Not, will it silence my critics? Not, will it make me feel better? Those questions sneak in easily, but they make poor masters. One question is enough. If the answer is yes, do it. If the answer is no, walk away, even if everyone else applauds. You answer to one Lord, and he is not in the audience.
Prayer: Lord, we want to please you, but we feel the pull of lesser courts. Keep us from living for applause that fades. Give us the quiet steadiness that comes from seeking your smile. When we forget, remind us quickly. We have only one life and only one Judge. Help us live today as people who will stand before you without shame. Amen.
