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Focus on the Family Strengthening Marriage Podcast

Live for God, Not the Crowd

Focus on the Family Strengthening Marriage Podcast

Focus on the Family

Relationships, Society & Culture

4.71.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As Christians, we're called to please God. So, how do you balance that with trying to make your spouse happy? Dr. Greg Smalley will help you discern if your goal is to obey God, or if you're focusing too much on your mate's happiness. Also, Rebecca St. James joins Jim Daly to explain how she learned to let go of people-pleasing tendencies before she got married.

 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, this is Jim Daly. We've enjoyed spending time with you this year, helping strengthen your marriage, your parenting, and your walk with Jesus Christ.

0:08.5

If you've been blessed by this ministry, can you pay it forward by donating to Focus on the Family before the end of the year?

0:16.2

Thanks to our $8 million match, your giving will have twice the impact.

0:20.6

Call 800 A-family or giving will have twice the impact.

0:26.8

Call 800 A-Family or donate at focus on the family.com slash family.

0:31.0

If a deduction is important to you for your 2025 income tax return and you're concerned about the recent Postal Service rule change for postmarks,

0:34.7

consider making your donation online or giving us a call.

0:45.4

In the New Testament, Paul wrote, whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for man.

0:52.3

And there's a general principle, I think that we like to hold up, which is my

0:55.4

audience is God. He's who I want to please. But there's no doubt we want to please others as well.

1:01.1

And if you're married, you want to please your spouse. So what to do with all that? I'm John Fuller,

1:06.1

joined by Dr. Greg Smalley and his wife, Aaron, from the Focus on the Family Marriage Team. And Greg, how do I know if my primary motivation is pleasing God?

1:15.0

And I'll just put it in marital terms, not just trying to keep Dina happy.

1:19.6

Yeah.

1:20.4

I think when we're really focused on God and we're trying to please him, there's a peace that goes along with that.

1:28.0

A P-E-A-C- yeah. Yeah. Yeah, because that, I mean, that's the way God designed it. That's what he

1:34.3

wants is for us to really focus on him. When I know that I'm trying to please Aaron, there's a,

1:41.0

there's an anxiety there, There's a frustration there.

1:44.5

There's a sense of failing there.

1:47.3

Then I can really pay attention to the motives.

1:50.6

When I'm really constantly looking to her, observing her, how am I doing?

1:57.2

Am I doing this right?

...

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