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The Dangers of People-Pleasing

“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:22-24).

If we are under the authority of another in a work setting, then God’s will is for us to do what they ask us to do. Sometimes our tendency is to rebel against authority, but other times, our obedience has a dangerous motivation: to please people. 

Why is people-pleasing a problem? It tempts us to obey “by way of eye-service” – only while being watched. It fosters hypocrisy and deceit; it compromises our integrity. Worst of all, it encourages us to see people as more powerful or more worthy than the Lord Himself. People-pleasing is a sneaky form of idolatry; we may do the right things on the outside, but in our hearts, our priorities are disordered and our motivation is corrupted.

What should we do instead of being people-pleasers? We fear the Lord; we regard Him as more powerful and more worthy of our allegiance than any person. Fear of the Lord fuels us to work wholeheartedly, with complete and sincere devotion to Him. His eye is always on us, and He sees not only our work, but our hearts. 

That truth might seem burdensome at first glance; how can we possibly maintain wholehearted work before a God who sees with perfect clarity every aspect of us at every moment? If we let our guard down even for one second, if we fail at even one point, He will see it. 

This is where the gospel promise of this passage is critical: we will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. We may earn a paycheck or the approval of others for our work, but neither of those things are ultimately satisfying. We weren’t created for money, and the approval of others ebbs and flows – sometimes because of our competence or lack thereof, other times because of the capricious nature of the human heart. 

By contrast, the Lord is eternal and changeless, and the reward He offers is trustworthy and satisfying. The work we do on this earth for others is ultimately in service of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden is light (Matthew 11:30). Yes, He sees all our work and the hidden motives behind it, but His approval of us is not contingent on our competence. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35) – not even our sins, idolatrous tendencies, or weaknesses. 

When we repent of our sin and place our faith in Jesus for salvation, He becomes our Master, which is the best scenario we could ever hope for. He holds complete power and is perfectly worthy of our allegiance. And incredibly, He wielded His inexhaustible power to empty Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and humbling Himself to become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). This truth should inspire us to do our best work on this earth; we are free from the bondage of people-pleasing and secure in the love and approval of our Savior, and He will be faithful to use even our weaknesses, failures, and limitations to accomplish His perfect plans.

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