“Is this the carpenter’s son?”

Imagine if Jesus had listened to

The people of Nazareth?

What would have happened

If He’d have played the pretend game?

If you’re a people-pleaser

You know this game well

It’s real easy

Because there’s only one rule

Say “yes” to something

That makes everyone else happy

Is this the carpenter’s son?

“Is this the carpenter’s son?”

It’s a question that’s fully loaded

It points the finger

Straight at Jesus

Letting Him know

That He shouldn’t be in the synagogue, teaching

He should be running His father’s carpentry business

That’s what was

Expected of Him

This…this…ministry stuff

Was totally unacceptable!

“Is this the carpenter’s son?”

“Didn’t we just see His sisters yesterday in the market?”

‘Where did He learn all this?”

Whisperings

And

Gossips

Carrying on

Like they owned Jesus

But, as the saying goes

You can’t please everyone, right?

HOW TO STOP PLAYING THE PRETEND GAME

So, how do you stop playing the pretend game?

Firstly

You need to get honest with yourself

Stop wasting your time and effort

On people who don’t really matter

The people who love you

And respect your choices

Regardless of the outcome of your decision

They are the ones who matter

Yes, we all seek approval

But

When God calls you to something

Your purpose

Which is more valuable

And greater than what people think about you

Is what’s important

I just love the way

Jesus wasn’t interested

In people’s narrow-minded view

Of what He should or shouldn’t do

He never played the pretend game

To gain someone’s approval

Jesus cared about people

No question about that

But, He didn’t pretend that He liked doing something

Just to gain people’s approval

John 5:19

Shows that

In everything Jesus did

God was all the approval He needed

“The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the father.”

So

How do you stop playing the pretend game?

After getting honest with yourself

You need to then get honest with God

Because, like Steven Furtick once said

“God cannot bless who you pretend to be”

You were put on this Earth

For a purpose

And it’s high time

You stopped using all your energy

In trying to win people over

Who are just a ‘stumbling block’

To the call on your life

Because

Only ONE approval matters

And that’s God’s!

FYI

You only get one life

So, don’t waste it

On playing pretend games

Because now is the time, my friend

To rise up

Stop pretending

And

Live a transformed life!

 

Wendy xo