Friday: 29th June, 2018
Reference text: Acts 12:1-11
Acts 12:3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
In the Acts of the Apostles today, we read about Herod, who after successfully issuing orders for the execution of James, realised that he was now in the good books of the Jews. He thus proceeded to also have Peter arrested, probably with the intention of doing something similar to him.
This leads us to ask the question: How far will you go to please people? Because Herod’s resolve was to keep pleasing the Jews that for Peter, whose only credentials were ‘a fisherman and three years of experience following Jesus’, he was treated as a threat to public safety, and as one deserving isolation. Though possessing no criminal record, he was treated as one: under the watchful eyes of 16 soldiers, slept between two of them and was also bound with heavy chains.
Just getting ahead of Herod- after Peter, who else was on offer? What else was he going to do to remain pleasing to the Jews because he obviously will have had to go up an extra notch or two. Beloved, a truth that is unchanging is the reality that attempting to please people is an impossible job.
Not everyone will be happy with everything, hence, there will always be those who have a different point of view so will be displeased. Therefore, if seeking to please others is made a major preoccupation, it only leads to exhaustion and disappointment because it becomes a goal impossible to attain.
Remember # Don’t be preoccupied with pleasing men.
#sly
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