Do everything in love.
I witnessed a sermon recently by a very sage Pastor that spoke volumes to those in attendance. It centered on asking a specific question in our lives: “What is pleasing to the Lord?” When we dwell on this question for a moment, we can see its application in just about every aspect of our lives. Before we speak to another, what if we asked “Is what I am about to say going to please or displease the Lord?”…and before every action, “Will this path I am taking please the Lord or bring about disappointment?...and with every thought, “Will the images in my mind please or anger the Lord?” Far too often we speak, think, and act in ways that are pleasing to ourselves…and given that we are sinful people, what is “pleasing” to us is often not pleasing to God…what brings us satisfaction often bucks God’s plan. Genuine application of this question in our lives will not be easy…especially at first. We will most certainly have to push our personal pride to the backseat, overhaul many of our bad habits, and maybe even end some relationships. But I am overwhelmingly convinced that our lives will drastically improve simply because we are working to better align with the will of our Father in heaven. If God is perfectly righteous and he wants nothing but good things for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11), then why wouldn’t we want to do what pleases him? Why wouldn’t we want to get as close as possible to following his plan? Why wouldn’t we want to do absolutely everything in love…love for him and love for one another? God gave us Christ…and through Christ our ticket that was once firmly punched with a one-way destination of “HELL” has been reprinted with “HEAVEN”. May we keep that fresh in our minds today, so that when we are about to speak, act, or think, we will pause and consider “What is pleasing to the Lord?” And if we aren’t sure, may we make time to crack open his Word…and let the answers spilt out into our lives! To God be the glory!
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