Whose Opinion Matters?
Following Jesus from the Edges — Devotionals on Holiness
Pastor Calvin Cook | October 29, 2026
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” — Galatians 1:10, NIV
Opinions are all around us. We hear them in conversations, on television, in our churches, and through social media. In the political and religious climate around us, people express strong convictions about what is right, who is wrong, and how everyone else should live.
And, of course, we have opinions of our own. I recently came in contact with a person in the community who I respect and I assume respects me. They asked my opinion on something and though they didn’t say it, I could tell by the way their expression changed that we were not in agreeance. The conversation ended amicably and a bit quickly as they suddenly had something to attend to and departed. I felt as if the conversation ended before I could state the reason for my opinion and where I was drawing it from.
This morning, I find myself asking: Whose opinion am I following? How is it shaping my decisions, my relationships, and the person I am becoming?
I can listen to something so often that it begins to influence my thinking without my recognizing it. I can become more concerned with someone’s approval than with whether my response reflects Jesus. I can even search for voices that agree with me while avoiding Scripture that might challenge me.
Perhaps you recognize that struggle, too.
Paul’s question in Galatians brings me back to my own heart: Am I seeking human approval, or am I seeking to please God?
Listening to others can help us grow. God often uses wise counsel, Christian fellowship, and people with different experiences to reveal something we have overlooked. Humility makes us willing to listen and willing to admit we may be wrong.
Yet every voice, including my own, needs to be examined in the light of God’s Word.
Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed through the renewing of our minds so that we can discern God’s will. That renewal requires more than adding a Bible verse to an opinion we already hold. We must allow Scripture to question us, examine our motives, and change our direction.
This is where our pursuit of scriptural holiness becomes deeply personal.
Through the grace of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, God cleanses our hearts and teaches us to love as He loves. That work reaches into what we believe, how we speak, and how we treat people who disagree with us.
James 3:17 describes it best: “But the wisdom from above is first pure [morally and spiritually undefiled], then peace-loving [courteous, considerate], gentle, reasonable [and willing to listen], full of compassion and good fruits. It is unwavering, without [self-righteous] hypocrisy [and self-serving guile]. wisdom from above as pure, peaceable, gentle, receptive, merciful, and sincere.” (Amplified Bible) Those qualities give me something to consider before I repeat an argument or defend my position.
Is this voice helping me become more truthful, humble, and compassionate? Is my response bearing the Spirit’s fruit of love, patience, kindness, and self-control? Am I willing to obey God when His Word challenges something I want to believe?
A strongly held opinion still needs a surrendered heart.
Today, before asking God to correct everyone else, I need to pray: Lord, show me where my own thinking needs to change.
Whose opinion matters most in the way I actually live? Is it social media? A politician? A friend? Family member? A religion? Or is it the Holy Spirit arriving and wielding the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)
May my choices reveal a growing desire to please the One who loves me, saves me, and calls me to holiness.
Prayer: Lord, help me recognize the voices shaping my life. Give me humility to listen, wisdom to discern, and courage to receive correction. Examine my opinions through Your Word. By Your Holy Spirit, cleanse my heart and shape my words and decisions in the love of Jesus. Let pleasing, You become my deepest desire. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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