Who Approves Of You?

[David said to Saul,] “Know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it.”

1 Samuel 24:11

The human soul seeks approval. It’s as if all descendants of Adam and Eve spend their lives trying to replace the disapproval God showed their forebears in the Garden of Eden. We know “we” did wrong in disobeying God, but then we latch on to whomever we think can pat us on the head and tell us everything will be okay.

Even when we hear God pronounce us forgiven, our old need for approval still kicks in. That’s what happened to David, the teenager God chose to succeed Saul as king of Israel. God looked at David’s heart and was pleased (1 Samuel 16:7). But when King Saul saw that God was with David instead of with him, Saul began persecuting his young successor. David did everything he could to win Saul’s approval instead of resting in God’s approval of his life. David was so focused on Saul’s disapproval that he made a series of terrible decisions that marked his life forever. If you are a Christian, your search for approval should be over. Accepting God’s opinion of you in Christ is the first step toward self-acceptance.

Jesus loves you the way you are, but loves you too much to leave you that way.

LEO VENDEN