All I Need Is His Applause

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

Deuteronomy 6:5

The young man had been waiting for this precise moment to arrive. He had been preparing for what seemed like forever. His premiere appearance as a concert pianist was just moments away. With a spirit of anticipation, the audience filled the prestigious concert hall to listen to the new rising musician.

After the last note had been played, the pianist left no heart untouched. His masterful playing brought the audience to their feet for a thunderous standing ovation. Backstage, the young man’s manager congratulated him and said, “They want an encore! Get back out there!”

Looking strangely dejected, the pianist replied, “No, I’m not going back out there.”

His manager said, “But they love your playing! Look at them! They’re all on their feet!”

“Not all,” was the young man’s reply. “Look in the balcony.”

The manager peeked around the curtain and he saw one white-haired, old man in the balcony who wasn’t standing or applauding. “That’s one old man! So what?”

The pianist looked down at the floor and said, “That’s not one old man. That man composed the music; out of all the people in the audience, he knows how the music was to be played.”

In your pursuit to gain all the good things, don’t miss the best thing! You can gain the applause of men by “…eyeservice, as menpleasers,” but the applause of men do not surmount to the applause of our Creator, the one who specifically designed you and me to play—live the Christian life—the way He intended.

You cannot live God’s composition for your life on your terms and expect His blessings. You may be thinking, “God, I have worked so hard to serve You. Look at all that I have accomplished for You.” As God watches your life being played note by note, is He thinking, “Child, you play beautifully, but that is not the way I intended you to play”?

God intends for you to “…love the LORD thy God with all thine heart.” God wants your heart. He doesn’t need your abilities; He doesn’t need your creativity; He doesn’t need your talents. God needs your whole heart!

When you accomplish a task, and someone praises your hard work, do you find satisfaction with the applause of man? God is not interested in this type of service. When you sneak into your prayer closet after everyone has gone to bed and sacrifice sleep in order to know your Saviour better, God applauds.

Before God tells us to love Him with our strength, He tells us to love Him with our hearts. The pianist received everyone’s applause except the man’s whose applause meant the most. His strength brought praise, but the praise was worthless, because it lacked the affirmation of the composer.

We may live praiseworthy lives, but do our lives possess the approval of our Composer? Do we live our lives in such a way that when others look at us, they know we serve God because we love Him, and not because we want to accomplish, conquer, or impress? Continue to let God teach you how to properly play His music through His instruction manual. Read God’s Word and know that all you need is His applause.