The follower of Jesus Christ should strive to honor and please God in all that he says and does. That is how Jesus lived His life. On two occasions: His baptism and the transfiguration, God declared that He was pleased with Jesus.
The question that I need to keep before me is: Do I seek to honor and please God with my life? The answer is scary. I realize what I desire is a life of comfort and security, not necessarily on that honors God.
I plan, dream, and then pray to ask God to bless those plans and dreams. There is no doubt that I want God to be part of my life, but the part that I want Him to play is the part of my generous benefactor. I want God’s blessings, but I don’t necessarily want God. My desire is not to live a life that will make God happy, but to live a life that will make me happy.
It can be said that this is part of human nature. We have a hard giving up our agendas and relying on God to lead us into the abundant life Jesus promised his followers. Further more we have been trained look after #1 and to go after what seems best for us . Perhaps it should come as no surprise that part of what Paul prayed for the Colossians was that they would live lives that honored God.
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. (Colossians 1:9-10; NLT)
In order to honor God and to live a life that is worthy of Him requires that we seek out His will. The number one way to discover God’s will is to be a student of Scripture. To be a student of Scripture means we will be disciplined in reading and studying the Bible on our own, as well as learning within a group setting. God’s word is meant to be studied within a community of faith.
Not only do we have to be a students of Scripture, but we also must be people of prayer. Paul prayed that God would fill the Colossians with knowledge. Through prayer we seek to align our wills with God’s will, to receive His truth, and to be blessed by His provision. Prayer is admitting our weakness and turning to God for guidance and strength.
We also have to obey. It is one thing to know what to do, but it is another to do it. Faith isn’t so much about believing the truth, as much as it is about living the truth. When we live out God’s truth then He is able to teach deeper truths about Himself, His purposes, and His ways. Living out truth isn’t just about living a moral life and going to church, but it is about bending our wills to the will of God. It is about doing those hard things that He asks us to do.
It isn’t easy to orient our lives to God’s will. In some ways the easiest thing to do is continue to live life the way I want to live. But if I truly want to live a life that honors God requires that I change my dreams and desires so they can match God’s desires for my life. Only when I am willing to give up the life I want to accept God’s plan for my life am I really living by faith.