John 7:47-49 The Pharisees then answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.”
All of us have at some time had to deal with peer pressure. It can be somewhat jarring and scary to think that we are not in the mainstream. We’ve noticed how often propagandists use the phrase “not in the mainstream” to put down a particular idea or philosophy. The Pharisees used that tactic on the temple officials. In essence, they said, “None of us have sided with Jesus. Don’t you want our approval? If you have been convinced to believe in Jesus, you also have been cursed like this crowd.”
It is possible that today we will feel that same pressure the temple officials felt when it comes to Jesus. If we speak out about Jesus, people will think we are some super spiritual weirdo. If we don’t laugh at the dirty jokes and use profanity like everyone else in the office, we will be rejected. What do the pastors and the elders think about watching R-rated and PG-13 movies? Or if you are a pastor or elder, what will the people to whom I’m trying to relate think if I can’t converse with them about the latest movie? Without realizing it, peer pressure, or fear of man, may shape our lives more than the fear of God, or our relationship with Jesus.
These verses encourage us to put Jesus first place in our lives. As we live to love with Jesus, we will want to make our decisions based on what gains His approval and glory. Three Scriptures come to mind that encourage us to not cave to the pressure of the crowd. First, Colossians 1:18, “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” Second, John 5:30, “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” Third, John 5:44, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”
It is obvious that the Pharisees want to put the pressure on the officials to seek their glory rather than the glory of God. As we renew our minds to think like Jesus, we put Him first in all things, and we seek His will and glory rather than the glory of men. Out of such a mindset, the love of God flows. I encourage you today to have the same attitude in yourself that Jesus had—seeking to please the Father by doing His will for His glory.
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