Is it okay for me to want to be popular?

John 2:23-25Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.

John 12:42-43Many people did believe in him [Jesus], however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

It’s not wrong for us to want others to like us—this is a natural human desire. The problem occurs when we are willing to compromise our values to get other people’s approval. Popularity is fleeting; the person who was popular yesterday can easily be replaced by the next person who seems cooler or funnier. Jesus saw this firsthand. The crowds that adored him one Sunday called for his crucifixion less than a week later. Honor God and show love to everyone—you will be far more content, and others will admire you as well.

Galatians 1:10Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

The Bible cautions us to be careful about our motives for being popular. When we try to please people more than God, we will likely fail to serve him well and our priorities will quickly become misplaced. We need to realize that if we are committed to following Jesus, there will be people in this world who reject us.