What people think of me really matters to me. It fuels me. Give that phrase some thought for a second. What fuels you? People? Voices? Kindness? Family? A sports team? An achievement? A dating relationship? Competition?
The truth is we all have things we find to be “fueling.” This term goes both ways though. When you have fuel you are cruising; when you are out of fuel, you are thumbing for a ride! Are you the type of person that loves to test how far you can go on E? Or the type that fills up the second you hit a quarter of a tank? I’m dangerous, let’s push E as far as it can go! Let me take this a step further, what happens when you put diesel in a car fueled by ethanol? Your car won’t initially die, but it will clog the filter, putter along, and fail to run effectively. It is a mess! The same is true of us when we fail to be fueled by our only sustainable energy source!
When I seek people to fuel me, I end up drained. At some point, I’ll find myself on empty because people are people. What if Paul lived for public opinion?
“When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.” Acts 28:3-6 ESV
Which opinion of Paul was correct? NEITHER!!!!! THEY WERE BOTH WRONG!!!!!! At first, Paul is a murderer and should die. Then, like a boss, he shakes off the snake, shows no burns, and appears to be just fine. And then what did they do? They changed their minds, and now he is a god. Both opinions of Paul are wrong. If people were the fuel to Paul’s life, he’d go insane. Hated one moment, worshipped the next. It’s an exhausting and frustrating way to live.
Man’s voice has a place in life, but it is not the end-all be-all. It is not where we derive worth. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son for us (John 3:16). Worth is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. You can tell me your house is worth $3,000,000 but if no one is willing to pay that amount then it ain’t worth it! You are worth what someone was willing to pay for you: JESUS! God determined you were worth Jesus. And you are going to let voices fuel you or drain you?
In light of how fickle people are, who do you want to have the final say in your life? That is also already determined; the final say about your life belongs to God. He has the final word. Not your mom, brother, bestie, boss, or Uber driver. The final word over your life is GOD’S!
God came to give you a completely fueled life. He came to make sure you were always on full. John 10:10 (in the NIV) says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” His voice truly matters most. Be fueled by God, everything else is secondary.
Here is a helpful resource to seek God each and every day, allowing yourself to be fueled by Him!
Keep Praying for One,
Jason Coache
Lead Pastor of Wellspring Church
