The Approval of One / 得谁赞许？
Dexu Xia
The Approval of One
We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4
When the legendary composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) was young, a hunger for approval drove him toward success. Warren Wiersbe wrote of him: “When Verdi produced his first opera in Florence, the composer stood by himself in the shadows and kept his eye on the face of one man in the audience—the great Rossini. It mattered not to Verdi whether the people in the hall were cheering him or jeering him; all he wanted was a smile of approval from the master musician.”
Whose approval do we seek? A parent’s? A boss’s? A love interest’s? For Paul, there was but one answer. He wrote, “We speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
What does it mean to seek God’s approval? At the very least, it involves two things: turning from the desire for the applause of others and allowing His Spirit to make us more like Christ—the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. As we yield to His perfect purposes in us and through us, we can anticipate a day when we will experience the smile of His approval—the approval of the One who matters most.
Whose approval do you find yourself seeking and why is their validation so important to you? How could God’s approval satisfy even more deeply?
Father, it’s far too easy to seek the applause of those around me and to desire their praise. Help me to lift my eyes to You, the One who knows me best and loves me most.
得谁赞许？
不是要讨人喜欢，乃是要讨那察验我们心的上帝喜欢。-帖撒罗尼迦前书2章4节
意大利作曲家威尔第（Giuseppe Verdi，1813-1901年）年轻时，凭着一股要得人赞许的渴望而迈向成功。一位美国圣经学者写道：“当威尔第所撰写的首部歌剧在佛罗伦斯上演时，他站在舞台边一个角落里，紧盯着在观众席中伟大的作曲家罗西尼（Rossini）的表情。对威尔第来说，大厅里的其他人为他欢呼喝采或冷嘲热讽都不重要，他想要的只是这位音乐大师赞许的笑容。”
我们想要得到谁的赞许呢？是父母、老板或是挚爱？对保罗而言，只有一个答案。他写道：“但上帝既然验中了我们，把福音托付我们，我们就照样讲，不是要讨人喜欢，乃是要讨那察验我们心的上帝喜欢。”（帖撒罗尼迦前书2章4节）
寻求上帝的赞许是什么意思呢？这至少包括两件事。首先是不再渴望别人的掌声，另外就是让圣灵使我们更像那位爱我们、为我们舍己的耶稣基督。当我们愿意顺服上帝完美的旨意，让祂塑造我们、使用我们的时候，有一天我们也必将得到上帝的赞许和微笑。
天父啊，我总是向往得到人们的掌声和赞美。
求祢帮助我能定睛仰望祢，
惟有祢最了解我又最爱我！