Approval

Big Idea:  Care more about what God thinks than what others think

Scripture: Galatians 1:10 – For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Warm-up:

-Do you ever worry about what other people think about you? Why do you think we do that?

-Do you ever hold back from doing things you know are right to impress other people?

-Do you ever act in a way that you shouldn’t to impress other people?

Game Time Discussion:

Read the following scripture aloud: – For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

-God calls us to do what He wants us to do, no matter what others think. We are all guilty of worrying about what others think of us. We all want the approval of others. It’s part of being human. Wanting others to think highly of us isn’t a bad thing. But when we value the opinion of others more than we value God’s opinion of us, we can get off track.

-What are some areas in your life you can do what God wants you to do more than what others want you to do?

Concluding Thought: If I could go back and change one thing about growing up, it would be worrying less about what other people thought of me. I spent so much time trying to impress people. As I grew older, I realized I didn’t really even like most of those people anyway. Don’t be someone you aren’t just to impress others. Be who God has called and created you to be.

Game Time Challenge: John 12:43 says “For they loved human praise more than praise from God”. This verse is talking about the Pharisees who wouldn’t fully follow Jesus because they were concerned that if they did, they would lose the approval of others. Simply put, they put the approval of others higher on their priority list than the approval of God. Remember this, if you live by the praise from others, you will die by the lack of it. Rest in who God says you are today and let that guide how you live, think, act, play, and talk. God’s opinion of you never changes. He loves you unconditionally because of what Jesus did on the cross. Don’t forget that.

Prayer: God, thank you for being a God that loves us no matter what. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for our sins so there is no condemnation for those who believe. Help us today to put your approval of us over the approval of others. Give us the strength and confidence to live for you no matter what others think. AMEN.

Extended reading: Romans 8:1, Romans 8:28-30