In Favor with God and Man
By: Scott A. Huish
Tags: Scotthuish, Proptech, Christian, Values

I feel like my life and the sharing of my time and talents at times has been on a pendulum — swinging between trying to please God on one extreme — and trying to please man on the other extreme. I have had times where my commitment to be ‘perfectly obedient’ to God has resulted in no time left over for other activities. And I have also had times of working hard to fulfil commitments made to family, school, and work that have taken my best time and energies with no time left over for God. It seems like these two ends of the spectrum can be at odds with each other with limited hours during the day.

I have found that, as in all things, answers come by looking to our perfect example of Jesus Christ. There are beautiful written accounts surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ which emphasize the significance and importance of His life to each of us. But relatively little is recorded of His life from the time of His birth until His ministry and loving atonement over 30 years later. We gain insight into this long time period of learning and development of Jesus Christ in Luke 2:52, ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and statue, and in favour with God and man.’

This emphasis on ‘favour with God and man’ can be a guiding verse in one’s life as it has been for me. I have come to realize that rather than ‘God’ and ‘man’ competing against each other for our best time and talents, they can actually support each other.

How do we grow in favor with God?

God has provided us with commandments to live. He has preserved scriptures for us to study and embrace. And He has given the world a living Prophet to follow. Through the Christian faith, we have a global support system to help us live the commandments, study the scriptures, and follow the words of the prophets. And our love and favor of God is manifest in the way we treat our fellow man.

How do we grow in favor with man?

God has also allowed us to leave the safety of His presence and come to earth to make mistakes, learn, and develop. While here, we are surrounded by people who are in the same scenario. We are brothers and sisters and we are expected to treat each other with kindness and respect. We are to develop healthy relationships with family, friends, coworkers, members of our communities, and even with those different from us. Often these favorable relationships are formed by sharing our time or talents with others.

This life is a period of schooling and experience to learn how we can grow in favor with God and man at the same time. We can show our love to God by the way we treat others. And the way we treat others and grow in their favor is a way to grow our love for God. Both are necessary for our personal growth and development.

As in all things, God set the example by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to minister to us, to set an example, and to gain favor with us. He taught us throughout His life and ministry. He had many followers from diverse backgrounds and he loved them all. He shared His love for us through His atonement and ultimate sacrifice of His will and life. And His life and legacy continue today with great admiration and adoration as much of the world strive to become more like Him.

Satisfying both ‘God’ and ‘man’ on the pendulum of our priorities do come together. In fact, it is not possible to gain favor with God by ignoring our fellow man. And we can best gain favor with our fellow man by following the teachings of God. We can follow the example of Jesus Christ and grow in favor with both God and man.

By,

Scott Huish

Scott Huish is based in New York City with his wife Kadi. Together they love to travel the great cities of the world, both large and small, and appreciate the differences around us.