Yesterday, I wrote that the joy of pleasing God, and feeling His pleasure, can be hindered if we live by do's and don'ts. Rule keeping just puts you in bondage. What's needed is to be so in love with Jesus we wouldn’t think of displeasing Him. Isn’t this what Jesus said? “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:21) In other words, the more we love Him, the easier it is to obey Him.
If we are struggling to be obedient in some area of our lives, we don’t need to double-down our efforts. We need to reassess our intimacy with Jesus. Obedience is the ‘natural’ consequence of love. “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And [then] His commands are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
Peter’s relationship with Jesus illustrates this proper order: love followed by obedience. Peter, who was the staunchest warrior among the disciples, declared his loyalty—he would never abandon Jesus. And then, he did (John 18). And not simply running away as the others had, but stridently disavowing Jesus—3 times! So it should not miss our attention that when Jesus and Peter had their next private encounter, Jesus did not tell Peter to try harder. No, Jesus simply looked him in the eyes, and said, “Peter, do you love me?”
Showing posts with label pleasing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pleasing. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Unmentionables
I heard a word the other day I hadn't heard in awhile. When is the last time you heard someone refer to underwear as ‘unmentionables?’ If you did, it was probably said as a joke. But you know it hasn’t been that long since undergarments were considered to be ‘unmentionable.’ Of course the larger meaning of the word is anything that is inappropriate or improper to mention in polite conversation. But is there a common definition of “polite conversation?” When did TV advertisers start showing models of women’s (or men’s) underwear? It gets worse. Many formerly unmentionable subjects are common with advertisers pushing the limits of decency. And not only that, but what used to be called “foul” language is no longer. Even some pastors think it's OK to use crude language in the pulpit. Is everyone pushing the limits?
How do we as Christians navigate our way through this crazy culture? Where do we draw the lines? Does the Bible have anything to say about what is and what is not ‘unmentionable?’ Yes, it does.
“Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them…and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph. 4:29; 5:4). We can only wonder what David’s culture was like when he says “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD.” (Ps. 19:14)
How do we as Christians navigate our way through this crazy culture? Where do we draw the lines? Does the Bible have anything to say about what is and what is not ‘unmentionable?’ Yes, it does.
“Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them…and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph. 4:29; 5:4). We can only wonder what David’s culture was like when he says “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD.” (Ps. 19:14)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
For Your Pleasure
In the beginning when God created the world, sparkling with divine energy, bursting with unlimited expansion, He was pleased. On the seventh day, He stopped and looked around at all He had done, and said, “It is good.” And we see that God takes pleasure in His creation, including us: “The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love” (Psalm 147:11).
We exist for His glory, purpose, and delight (Acts 17:28; Proverbs 8:30). Bringing enjoyment to God, living for his pleasure, is what we were created for. Eric Liddell, Christian missionary and Olympic athlete said: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Standing in opposition to God’s pleasure are the world's pleasures. But they only last for a moment, and leave us with an emptiness the just makes us want more (Hebrews 11:25). Why are we so easily enticed by such empty pleasures? The simple answer is this: God wants us to find our pleasure in Him, but if we do not, we will look elsewhere. So our pleasure-seeking is really an inherent hunger for God. Living a life that is pleasing to God has its own great reward, not only in time, but for eternity. “In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). So let us, like Paul, make it our ambition to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:10) and do it!
We exist for His glory, purpose, and delight (Acts 17:28; Proverbs 8:30). Bringing enjoyment to God, living for his pleasure, is what we were created for. Eric Liddell, Christian missionary and Olympic athlete said: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Standing in opposition to God’s pleasure are the world's pleasures. But they only last for a moment, and leave us with an emptiness the just makes us want more (Hebrews 11:25). Why are we so easily enticed by such empty pleasures? The simple answer is this: God wants us to find our pleasure in Him, but if we do not, we will look elsewhere. So our pleasure-seeking is really an inherent hunger for God. Living a life that is pleasing to God has its own great reward, not only in time, but for eternity. “In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). So let us, like Paul, make it our ambition to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:10) and do it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)