The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.  John 7:18

We often say that we are trying to change the world while forgetting that the only one we really have a hand in changing is our own. Of course without God’s help we are not too great with even that. Knowing how to get started is for me the most frustrating part. Whether trying to change my use of critical words or my diet that will help me lose critical pounds I find that failure lurks around every corner.

Back in Jesus’ day He found himself surrounded by people with all kinds of different heart issues. Some were following him only because they wanted to see what amazing thing He would do next. Some tried to entangle him with trick questions, hoping to get him arrested. A few really wanted to know more about God and genuinely wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.

The great thing is that Jesus got right to the point. His words shone like a spotlight, not only on that crowd but also on us. His words force us to ask ourselves the hardest question: “Who are we trying to impress?”

If we are only hoping to win popularity and acceptance from people and not from God then not matter how we try, we will fail. Our failure will not be that we miss changing the outward form and the material benefits of our efforts but that we miss out on the only one whose opinion really matters: that is the opinion of God. Once we can settle that issue then real change will begin. When God is glorified in our attitudes and actions, He moves all kinds of mountains and we will find an unexpected joy, just resting in Him. Who am I trying to impress? If my answer is Jesus; then His promise is to come and change my world today!