Ephesians 5:10 says, Find out what pleases the Lord. How do we know what pleases God? Colossians 1:9-12 gives us some clues.
We ask God that you will know fully what God wants. We pray that you will also have great wisdom and understanding in spiritual things. Then you will live the kind of life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God. Then God will strengthen you with his own great power. And you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. Then you will joyfully give thanks to the Father. According to this passage, here are some things that please God:
Do you think you live a life that pleases God? Which one of these things do you need to work on? Reflecting on your spiritual life and setting goals can be a great way to encourage spiritual growth.
Whether you love her or not, you can't deny that Taylor Swift's fans aren't devoted. It occurred to me this week that being a Christian is a bit like being a Swiftie - at least it should be. I recently attended one of Taylor's concerts in Melbourne with my daughters. We spent the better part of a day on the ticketing website securing tickets, booked flights and accommodation, made friendship bracelets, planned our outfits, and listened to the set list on repeat. You could call us devoted fans.
We should be even more devoted to God because he created us and sacrificed his Son, Jesus, so that we can live eternally with him. Are you devoted to God? Do you love him? Spend time reading his Word? Talk to him in prayer? Meet together with other Christians? Spend time serving him? Lean on his strength and understanding? Acts 2:42 says, They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. The word used for devoted here means to continue to do something with intense effort, possibly despite difficulty; to devote yourself to something, to persist. (Paraphrase of HELPS Word Studies). Ephesians 5:8 says, In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Paul didn't say we were in the darkness, he said the darkness was in us. When you decide to follow Jesus, you are filled with his light. That doesn't mean that you never sin, but we should become more and more like Jesus as we mature in our faith.
Are you full of darkness or light? Darkness = envy, greed, jealousy, gossip, hatred, violence, drunkeness, sexual immorality, idolatry, arguments, anger,complaining, bitterness, selfishness, foul language, blasphemy... Light = love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, humility, forgiveness, gratitude, faithfulness, generosity, honesty... |
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