The name speaks for itself - Rhapsodies and Anecdotes. This is the venue in which I share (often ecstatically) personal stories about what God teaches me as I dive into His Word each day. I hope you like what I post and that it challenges you as it does me.

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Whatever you do and for whatever reason you're reading this right now, know this: I'm praying for you, reader. I'm praying that God works in your heart to draw you more and more to Himself.

8.23.2013

Lady Gaga

Last week Lady Gaga released a new single. Now, I'm not typically a Lady Gaga listener, but for whatever reason I heard it on the radio and surprisingly the lyrics peaked my curiosity. To be sure I was hearing correctly, I looked them up. The chorus is incredibly revealing:
I live for the applause, applause, applause
I live for the applause-plause
Live for the applause-plause
Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me
The applause, applause, applause
[Lady Gaga]
Well, at least she's honest.

But as I listened, I could not keep the words of Paul from resounding in my head.
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
 John also contributes to the subject:
"Isaiah said these things because he saw his [Jesus'] glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
A difficult question comes to mind: am I as transparent as her? Aside from the accolades of a job well done at work or awards for good performance, social media has contributed just as much to our desire for approval. With friends and followers and likes and shares and view counts and on and on and on, aren't we all prone to "love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God?" If we're honest, aren't we all tempted "live for the applause" just as much as Lady Gaga?

If you claim to follow Christ, then your first priority from the moment you wake up each morning will be to make Him known to as many people as possible. That's the very essence of His final marching orders. None of us has an excuse. There are no exceptions. There is no Plan B. Whether your job is full-time ministry or teaching or working in a coffee shop or anything in between, your primary task is to make disciples of Jesus. His command to all of us is to reject the applause of man and to radically seek out the applause of God, and we do so by our faithfulness to confess Him as Lord and to proclaim His Gospel in all the contexts in which we have influence. The goal is to win the nations, not sit back and hope they figure it out themselves. The goal is to be a faithful witness for Christ and receive the applause of heaven, not spend our lives seeking the things of this world and gaining the approval of men.

It's one or the other. You can't have both. Which will you choose?

That you might know Christ,

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