“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” (2 Cor. 5:9, NIV) The only one Christians should be seeking to please is Jesus. The single purpose of our heart should be glorifying Him in all that we do. There were numerous times the apostle Paul made this clear regarding his own life. The only audience Paul was performing for was a heavenly one. His only goal was to be well-pleasing to God (2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thes. 2:4). He even said if he were seeking the approval of men, he could not be a servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10). If we would learn to focus on an audience of one—Christ—then we would know that what He thinks is all that matters. How much time most of us have wasted because we have cared more about what others around us think than what the God of the universe thinks. We sin and fall short of the glory of God when we fail to give Him the honor and the supremacy in our hearts that He deserves.    

            When we make it our only objective to be well-pleasing to Christ, we eliminate a lot of hassle and worry from our lives. Our existence becomes characterized by simplicity and singleness of mind. Our purpose is clear; therefore, everything we do has meaning. Those who are trying to please men rather than God, or who are at the very least trying to live their lives to please both God and man, will constantly find themselves with divided loyalties and conflicts of interest. You can only have one God.

            We can live our lives with single-hearted purpose. The apostle had this perspective in his life when he spoke of “this one thing I do” (Phil. 3:13). Paul loved Christ and wanted to please Him more than anything else.  All who know Him and walk with Him in close communion will find so much about Him to adore that they will have difficulty thinking of anything but Him for very long.  To know Jesus as your best friend should be the goal of every believer. To know Him more, serve Him better, and adore Him endlessly is what the life of faith is all about.  

Grace and Peace Ministries

www.gandpministries.org