One thing the flesh (the corrupt nature of man) loves is the praise of men.  This desire can be so strong that it causes people to reject  Jesus, even when they believe that He is the Christ.

John 12:42-43 (ESV)
⁴²  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; ⁴³  for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

These Jewish authorities were not the last ones to allow things such as social standing and the praise of men to get in their way of serving God.  We are all tempted by the devil to put things before God, and, due to the alluring power of the flesh, the praise of man is high on that list.

We have another example of this in the New Testament, this time demonstrated by members of the Lord’s church.  Many Jews obeyed the gospel of Christ in the first century.  Gentiles did not begin obeying the gospel until about ten years after the church began (Acts 10).  Sadly, among the early Jewish converts, were some who wanted to cling to the Old Law of Moses.  Regarding the Gentile, they said that it was “necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5).  Why were they demanding that Gentiles keep the law of Moses?  Was it because of their loyalty to the law?  Paul tells us the truth about it.

Galatians 6:13 (ESV)
¹³ For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

To whom did these Judaizing teachers want to boast?  It was to the unbelieving Jews.  They were trying to gain their favor to avoid persecution (Galatians 6:12).  This is another case of wanting the praise of man, even when it is displeasing to God.

If we are not to make this same mistake, we must crucify the flesh (Galatians 2:20), and make sure that Jesus is the Lord of our lives.  The praise of men might feel good at the moment, but it can very easily become detrimental to our souls.  If we think too highly of it, we will choose to please man instead of God when we are confronted with the choice, and that will always be a bad decision.

Let us do our best to keep everything in perspective.  Man cannot save us; only God can do that.  The praise of man has very little value, even in this present world.  It is often just a form of flattery that can impair our judgment, causing us to make bad decisions.  Think of all the crimes that have been committed by someone just trying to please man.  Homes have been broken, friendships have been ruined, and even churches have been weakened by attempts to please man instead of God.

Our main focus in life should be to please God.  Daniel is an example of this.  When faced with the opportunity to eat from the king’s table, he requested that he not be forced to do so because he was concerned with being defile before God (Daniel 1:8).  Eating from the king’s table would have been a great privilege, as well as the popular thing to do, but Daniel was determined to put God before man.  He was able to do so because he was not infatuated with the praise of men.  Let us follow his example.  We might lose glory on earth, but we will gain the glory of heaven.  

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.