WHAT MATTERS MOST IS GOD’S APPROVAL

THURSDAY AUGUST 27

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” 2Ti 2:15 KJV

Wallace E. Johnson, president of Holiday Inns and one of America’s most successful builders, said, “I keep on a card in my billfold the following Scriptures, and refer to them frequently: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened’ (Mt 7:7-8 NIV). These Scriptures are among God’s greatest promises.” Then Johnson said something interesting: “These verses can seem a little one-sided, and indicate a philosophy of receiving but not of giving. One day as my wife, Alma, and I were seeking God’s guidance for a personal problem, I came across the following verse which has since been a daily reminder to me of what my responsibility as a businessman is to God: ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.’ Since then I have measured my actions against the phrase: ‘A workman that needeth not to be ashamed.’ Without knowing that you have God’s approval, your successes, however great, will leave you feeling empty. But when you know you have God’s approval, you are totally fulfilled.” Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth and said, “Our goal is to please [God]” (2Co 5:9 NLT). To the Thessalonians he said, “We urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you” (1Th 4:1 NLT). So this is the word for you today: What matters most is pleasing God.