Are you by nature a people pleaser? I know that I am. It is a natural tendency that I have learned the hard way will destroy my sanity, my ministry, and my life if I allow it the opportunity. The truth is that you cannot please everyone. The more you try to please everyone, the less successful you become at pleasing anyone; especially those who are most important to you. The way to live a better life is not to please more people but to make sure you are pleasing the right people.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Paul says, “We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.” Paul is well aware that He is not going to please everyone. As a matter of fact, he just throws out the reality that he is not even going to try. Instead, he makes his aim to please God who truly knows the condition of his heart. Think about it, even on that rare occasion when you do please people, your best efforts are often undermined by peoples’ suspicion of why you are doing what you doing. Paul is well aware that people see your efforts but they don’t always see your heart.

Do you want less stress and more fruit in your life? Focus on Paul’s plan. Focus on pleasing God. HE knows your heart. He knows when your failures were done with the right motive and when your successes were done with real devotion to Him. God knows when you are serving with gratitude, love, and when you are giving your best. When God is your focus, you can have more joy with less grief because you can be assured that what you do for Him never goes unnoticed or unrewarded. Spending your life trying to please men will fill up your life with activity but not much effectiveness. Focusing your life on pleasing God will bring clarity and cause you to reap rewards that will last for eternity. Don’t focus on doing more; focus on doing the right things.

Today’s Challenge: Today there will be many things that battle for your attention and devotion. While you cannot ignore all the demands on your time, you must demand that the important things get their place. Spend time today investing in things that please God. Spend time with Him in prayer. Invest in His work through serving and giving. Focus on what pleases Him.