Pleasing God

My heart was jarred this week as my spirit was reminded of our main purpose in life - to please God. I was meeting with an individual who upon arriving in our meeting continuously stated that "they were a sinner" and that they knew "they were no good". As we continued in our discussion I discovered that this person was dealing with much regret and disappointment in life. The thing I observed most was that they had no focus - no anchor. I began to share with them about past regrets in my life and how I have managed to overcome the paralyzing effects of that regret and where I found my security and who I allowed to anchor my life. I invited this individual to begin a journey with me in making God their anchor and main focus in their life. Their reply was that what they wanted more than anything right now in their life was to do whatever would pleased God and would bring peace into their life. We discussed how one made God the main focus in their life. We talked about what things would have to go in order to let Him take center stage. It was at this point she asked me how she could know that she was staying on the right track. she was looking for a bench mark and plumb line, if you will.

We all need benchmarks and plumb lines in our lives this is evident by the multiple times that God placed them in His word. The Bible is full of little tidbits in which you can almost read God saying to us - you will know thatIi am here, you will know that you are on the right track when these items are happening.

This week I have begun to study the book of Colossians. In Colossians 1:10-12a we read this -

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father".

The benchmarks to pleasing God -

1. Bearing Good Fruit
2. Growing In Our Knowledge Of Him
3. Allowing Him To Strengthen Us
4. Our Joyful Thanks Giving

If we desire to live lives which please God then we must intentionally and frequently take a scan of our life and see how we are measuring up with these benchmarks. What good fruit are we bearing with our actions and words? What steps are we taking to ensure that we are growing in our knowledge of Him? How are we not leaning on our own understanding in life's circumstance but instead allowing Him to be our strength? What ways are we joyfully giving Him thanks?

Lord, Help me to measure up to your plumb line. Help me to please you in all i do, in all i say and in all i think. ~ amen

Just One of Those Days

Have you ever had "One of those days"? You know the kind I am talking about; nothing is going right, everything is a wreck, you wonder why life has to be so hard, basic pity party. Well, I have been having one of those weeks! If things did not seem bad enough, as I was sitting here I received a phone call from my wife who imparted yet more bad news. I began to have all sorts of thoughts - none of which were good - and i came across a paper on my desk that had written on it Luke 4. Apparently, I had a passing thought at one time or another and decided i needed to remember that text. Of course at this moment i have no idea why it was so important to write down. So, I thought I would read it and see what it says. It was just what I needed to read. Thank you God for being so big and awesome that you can provide when i have no idea what it is that i need. the beginning of Luke 4 is Luke's account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. now don't get the idea that i am heading out into the wilderness and not eating for forty days, especially not the later. no, the words i needed to hear were actually found in Jesus' responses to satan's temptations.

1. "People do not live by bread alone"
2. "You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him"
3. "You must not test the Lord your God"

often i find myself focusing on temporal/material things, actually it is usually the lack of these items but you get the point. when my focus is on what i don't have it can not be on what i do have and that is Christ. He is all sustaining if i allow Him to take that position in my life. when i allow myself to become preoccupied with what i don't have - it is almost like i am worshipping those items instead of worshipping Christ. i become tempted to test God - by saying things like, "God, if you loved me you would do x, y and z" or "God if you don't do x, y and z I can not do a,b and c".

God is always faithful to take care of His end of the deal. My responsibility is to keep my focus on Him. To allow Him to sustain me. To serve Him alone. To not test Him but to have faith in Him and to keep my focus on is will and purposes in my life.

Lord, help me today to realign my focus on you. Forgive me for my shortfalls and for so easily losing focus. i cast my cares and anxieties upon you and seek your guidance alone.

~ Amen

Just Starting

I enjoy journaling so I thought i would give it a try electronically. I encourage feedback and would love to see some enlightening discussion take place as a result of this blog. I believe that God is calling us to go further in our relationship with Him. So much of our time is spent on the surface, we struggle going further - going deeper. As we go deeper lifes purpose becomes more vivid - hence the address name.

Blessings,

Pastor Mike