The Source Of Ultimate Approval

In review of Matthew 3:13-17 it says, 13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” 15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. 16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Bottom Line:

We need to do our part, but not too look good in front of others. We do it to receive the approval of God, who is the only one who can provide the ultimate form of approval.

What this means to me:

I should not base my life and my self-worth on approval of others. I should do what I need to do, but not for the approval of others, but rather for the approval of the ultimate source. My goal should be to have my God my father say, “this is my dearly loved son, who brought me great joy with his life.”

I really enjoy, desire and crave approval. I need to be cautious of just how much my life is shaped by this desire. It’s important for me to remember that only one voice has the power to bless me in an ultimate sense: the voice of my heavenly Father.

Jesus did not need the same approval of his peers that we often crave. Jesus could do this because he knew with certainty that his identity rested completely on the only source of ultimate blessing, that of God the Father.

I need to be cautious of wanting the approval of others more than I am willing to accept that I’m already fully approved of in Christ. If I do, I’ll be tempted to worship something else; an idol. So this week, if anyone pays me a compliment, I should take a moment to thank God for using that person to encourage you. Hopefully practicing that little habit helps me stay more focused on the only place my ultimate approval comes from.

In summary I should not base my life and my self-worth on approval of others. I should do what I need to do, but not for the approval of others, but rather for the approval of the ultimate source. My goal should be to have my God my father say, “this is my dearly loved son, who brought me great joy with his life.” God, today I’m reminded that while I may default to and strive for approval of others, the only approval I need to seek is yours.  You have already granted me the same approval of Christ’s when I accepted him as the leader of my life and believed that you raised him from the dead. I need to keep in mind that there is only one voice that has the power to approve of me and that is you.