The approval of God is different from being in righteous standing. There is nothing we can do to become righteous apart from accepting the work of Jesus on the cross. However, there is a lifestyle that meets the approval of God, and then there are those lifestyles that God is not pleased with and do not represent Him well on the earth.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
When we endure temptation and do not give in to it, God is pleased and approves of our lifestyle. The above scripture tells us that when we overcome temptation, we show that we love God. The world can see that our relationship with the Lord is more important than getting our way or surrendering ourselves to a temptation. God is pleased with us in refusing to succumb to temptation and deeming Him more important than anything else.
But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 1Thessalonians 2:4
God approves and entrusts His people to share the gospel. He expects us to speak truthfully to our fellow neighbor about their true condition and not worry about our popularity. We live in a world of “likes”, and it is easy to be conditioned to think that everyone will like us or will appreciate what we have to say. God tests our hearts to see if we are more concerned about being liked or being approved by God. We have been entrusted with something very valuable. If we diminish it or not tell the whole story, basically, we are showing God that we are not to be trusted with this powerful message.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15
God approves those who rightly divide the word. The people who are not manipulating the word or use it for their own selfish reasons are pleasing to God. They are not using their position to reinterpret what the scripture says in order to gain more congregants. God expects diligence and courage. The cowards will be ashamed someday. On the other hand, those who are diligent in presenting the Word of God, are courageous and will have no reason to be ashamed. They were faithful to God by choosing not to cave into the pressure of masses, and they diligently presented the gospel through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
