Are you popular with God?

I have never really been very popular in my life. Because of the attention most of us desire to have as sociable humans, sometimes I’ve wondered what it may be like to be more popular. But usually after pondering it a bit I feel like I wouldn’t want popularity without sure grace from God to help me maintain a Christ-like attitude. To be in the spot light--of more than friends, family, neighbors, and business or personal acquaintances--seems like something where people need special grace to handle it properly as a Christian. In saying this, I do not believe that many popular people manage the attention on them with a graceful and godly attitude. But that may be another post regarding Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”.

This post is dedicated to those who are popular in the eyes of God or would like to be. I wish to specify my definition as I’m looking at the word popular. In relation to God I mean: well-liked: or pleasing to a person (specifically God)

Now why would God like or be pleased with anyone? In truth, I must start out by saying that God the Father does not really like and is not really pleased with any human except the God-Man Jesus Christ, His unique Son. He is the only One of mankind who has never caused dislike or displeasure in the heart of God. In other words, He never sinned or fell short of the glory of God as all other humans have from Adam on. If the Father God is pleased with no one but Jesus then where do we go from there? What hope do we have in gaining any favor with God, let alone becoming popular in His eyes? The answer is that we have absolutely no hope at all by any means of our own. But while we were yet sinners, God in His great mercy and love of mankind sent His only perfectly and completely pleasing Son to pay the price of our sin debt with His own life.

Rom 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And because He was then raised from the dead, we have new life in Him (Rom 8:11). The penalty of our sin was PAID IN FULL as the Father was pleased to accept His Son‘s offering on our behalf (Is 53:10-11). This is where if you have seen your utter sinfulness and then trusted in the Son of God to save you from the penalty and power of that sin in your life, you are in and of Christ Jesus by virtue of adoption. And being in this position you are now pleasing to and accepted by God for being in and of His Holy Beloved unique Son.

Ep 1:3-6
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”

There is nothing we can do more in or of ourselves that will please the Father. And it is still true that only that which is produced by the Holy Spirit’s grace through us will ever please God the Father. God makes us more or less popular in the eyes of men. Some abuse their greater popularity in this and then some give the glory to whom it is due as Barnabas and Paul did in the book of acts when men thought to worship them for their God given words and deeds:

Acts 14:14-15
“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,”

If God intends for only one soul to read this post and be encouraged in Him then I’m good with that for that is what God has purposed. If many more read this and are blessed then that is good too, for this is God’s plan of use. I desire to be a willing vessel, sanctified and made useful by and in Christ for and to His glory according to His eternal purpose.

Jer 9:23-24
Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

No one of us should boast of our popularity to men. For what do we have that we were not given from God?

1 Cor 4:7
“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

And as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4) or Herod (Acts 12) the LORD can remove anything of this sort which He has in reality lent for His purposes and not ours. And we should not feel jealous of the human popularity others seem to have, for this is an attitude which Christ is not pleased with as it is contrary to His divine nature which He gives us by promise through faith.

Phil 2:5-8
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

2 Pet 1:3-4
“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Nor should anyone feel like they are less than others because God chooses to use others in a way more noticeable to other human eyes. For this does not make anyone less noticeable to Gods eyes.

1 Cor 12:22-24
“No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,”

A widow quietly interceding and praying for other’s salvation and the grace to help them may just be one of the most popular people on the whole earth in the eyes of the Most High God and will receive her reward for it, though no man knows her name.

Whose attention would you wish to be sure to have? Men who, like the flower or the grass, wither and fade away in a short period of time, like a vapor which vanishes away quickly (Is 40:7-8, 1 Pet 1:24). Or, would you rather be the apple of God’s eye (Ps 17:8) and given attention from the Alpha and Omega, the Ruler of all Creation, the Maker of everyone of those people we desire attention from, the Most Powerful and only omniscient Being who dwells in all of space and time, He who never grows weary or faints, He never slumbers or sleeps, He holds the power of life and death for every creature He alone has made, His wisdom has spanned the heavens farther than man could ever comprehend, He controls the forces of all nature and can still any storm or snuff out any star. Yet in all of this, He gently knocks at the door of your heart and says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

Listen closely for His still small voice, so different from the voices of men clamoring for attention from other men. Open the door…