Can I get a witness?

So I was thinking about the insecurities I referred to the other day, and wondering how you might overcome caring too much about what people think. . . then I decided I should probably take my own advice and look at the life of Jesus. He was obviously unconcerned about how people viewed him, and he broke a lot of rules that 'proper' Jewish men would have followed to be socially accepted. And then I came upon this verse in John:

"But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man." John 2:24-25

Jesus had just completed a round of miracles in Jerusalem, and as a result many new believers joined the ranks. . . it would have been easy for him to fall for the applause and become raptured by the adoration of his new fans. But John says here that Jesus refused. . . he refused to become dependent on their adoration or acceptence - he refused to find his own worth in the honor of their words. He did not need their adoring words. And here's the point for us:

We are all imperfect people. Most of the time we are more consumed with ourselves than the people around us. It is so easy for us to say and do hurtful things without intending to because we just don't always think it through. . . Jesus knew that the new believers who were lovin' on him might not always offer their love. He didn't entrust himself to them because he knew that if he did he would eventually face their rejection. Unfortunately, I know that there are people in my life who I have let down - people who entrusted themselves to me and then were disappointed. The only person who will love me and never let me down is Jesus. . . and when I lean too heavily on the adoring words of the people around me, I set myself up for eventual discouragement.

I'm not saying that we can't love and encourage each other, or that when someone compliments you it isn't ok to receive it and enjoy it. . . I'm just saying we have to be careful not to entrust ourselves to those people - to care more about what they think and say than what our God and Creator thinks and says. It is so easy to become self-conscious, and so easy to let other's opinions sway our convictions. I know that, because I've done it. . .

So today let's remember that Jesus is our best friend, our biggest fan, and the only man whose opinion is worth our lives. Let's live for Him today.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7