It Starts Small

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”
¹⁵ Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.
¹⁶ When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17

Approval.

Do you ever notice how much we or the world around us craves approval?

This is a real need in all of us. The pursuit of it can be consuming. IT is really important remember that only one voice has power and that voice is our Heavenly Father.

Twice in the ministry of Jesus, God the Father audibly spoke His approval of Jesus. As Jesus was baptized at the beginning of His public ministry, our Father in Heaven gave His approval. The second time was during His transfiguration, which happen just before His execution.

 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. ² He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. ⁴ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”

Matthew 17:1-5

Jesus never sought the approval of His peers. Jesus was not a people-pleaser. In fact look what John wrote:

²³ While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. ²⁴ Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all ²⁵ and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.

John 2:23-25
(Bold for emphasis)

Jesus did not “entrust himself” to human approval because He knew how fickle and temporary human approval is. Jesus could do this because He knew that only HIs Father had the power and authority to give Him approval and that His identity was found in His Father.

If want the approval of someone else over God, I am tempted to start worshiping something else. So many times we get a compliment from someone and we turn compliments into approval. We want more so we pursue the compliment more than we pursue God and turn that pursuit into our idol of worship. If someone pays you a compliment, thank the Lord for their encouragement. Then it turns our worship to Him and not the person who complimented us.

We can work at making a new habit in our lives by practicing to seek the Lord’s approval and to stay focused on the only place it should be found: The Lord!

Thoughts to Ponder:

• Do you crave approval?
• Have you slipped into looking to others to give approval?
• Why is God’s approval the only approval we should seek?

© Kimberlee Smith 2025 http://www.itstartssmall.com All rights reserved.