Man Pleasing

"Their happiness will be to lie in hell, and remember that they were well spoken of on earth!"
- from Richard Baxter's Directions Against Inordinate Man-pleasing

Dang! Yeah seriously. This paper by Baxter is uber helpful to me. One of the things I love about the puritans is how systematic they are - and long winded! In this paper Baxter covers the appropriate regard for man and the correct place of God in a believer's life. And, in typical puritan fashion, he leaves you encouraged by discussing the benefits of pleasing God as well as practical indicators to see where you are on the path. And what does he list as the #1 sign of living to please God? "You will be most careful to understand the Scripture, to know what doth please and displease God" - yeah - exactly. This, right here, is why I am in seminary. The ability to understand God's Word should be the highest priority in the life of a believer. Shortly thereafter comes the appropriate way to live that out.

Of course another reason I love the puritans is their timeless application. Sometimes when I read their stuff it's as if they are living in our modern world - just with cute words like "methinks" :) The bottom line - I am a man pleaser. I can see it in my relationships with certain people. I have also been blessed lately with some outside perspective of how man pleasing has penetrated my personal theology.

Anyway - I found this helpful, you might find it cool too. Who knows? You might even be inclined to comment ;)

Smiles,
ames