A Life Pleasing to God

Readings for today: Ephesians 5-6, Psalms 10

A basic question I am often asked is how to live a life that is pleasing to God. A life that is open to God. A life that is surrendered to God. People want to know what it means in the everyday to follow Christ. What does it mean to live a godly life? What does it mean to have a godly marriage? What does it mean to raise godly children? Work towards godly ends in our vocation? These are all great questions to ask as we think about what it means to be a Christian. Is it just a set of beliefs about God? An abstract theological system we ascribe to? A set of laws we have to obey? I prefer the way Paul describes it in the Book of Ephesians…

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” (Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

It starts with our perception of God. Is He a distant tyrant that exercises His rule over our lives whether we like it or not? Is He a loving Father who wants to bless and give good gifts to His children? If you lean towards the former, then the temptation will be to try to measure up. Try to prove yourself. White-knuckle your faith with an iron will and rigid self-discipline. If you lean towards the latter, you are set free to follow the example God sets for us in Jesus Christ. You can learn to imitate Him. Especially in love. As you walk with Him and talk with Him and spend time with Him, He promises to teach you a life of love. Extravagant. Abundant. Generous. Overflowing. This is the love of God and the love He wants us to walk in every single day. It is this love that should mark every relationship. It is this love that drives us to serve and submit to one another. It is this love that inspires obedience to His will. It is this love that changes how we parent, how we work, how we retire, and how we spend our free time. We don’t love to get anything from others, we love in order to give ourselves away. This is the secret to living a life pleasing to God.

Where do you find yourself imitating God in your life right now? Where is it easy? Where is it hard? What challenges do you face along the way? Are there certain people in your life that you find hard to love? Lean into Christ. Follow His example. Rather than withhold love or keep the person at arm’s length or cut them out of your life, love even more deeply. Love even more fully. Love even more extravagantly. Love in a healthy, honest, transparent way. This is the way Jesus loved.

Readings for tomorrow: Philippians 1-2, Psalms 11

Praying for One Another

Readings for today: Ephesians 3-4, Psalms 9

I happened to meet a dear friend this morning who told me they were praying for me. I was immediately overwhelmed. I’ve recently had to navigate some challenging conversations and challenging situations and this person knows some of what I’ve been going through. The fact that she has been praying for me means more to me than she can ever know. It opened a door for me to share with her some of the emotions I’ve been feeling as I’ve been walking my journey. She was supportive and encouraging and I was blessed. After she left, I shared her words with my wife and we both just marveled at the beauty of our church. The beauty of this group of people who are so passionate about Christ and so generous with their love. I cannot imagine serving a more committed group of disciples.

Then I opened my Bible. I read these words from the Apostle Paul this morning and imagine he must have felt the same way about the Christians in Ephesus. Listen to his prayer for them, “For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us —  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Clearly, Paul cares deeply for this group of people. He thinks so highly of them and he longs to see them continue to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. His prayer for them is beautiful and breathtaking in scope. It is also deeply convicting. I found myself pondering the relative poverty of my own prayers in comparison. Yes, I pray for those I love. Yes, I pray for my church family. Yes, I pray for my community. Yes, I pray for my nation and our world. But do I pray like Paul? Frankly, I don’t. My prayers are far more mundane and parochial. I tend to pray through lists of requests rather than pray at the depths Paul is talking about here.

What would happen if we truly prayed Christ-centered prayers? What if we prayed for one another to experience the riches of Christ’s glory, to be strengthened with Christ’s power, and for Christ to dwell in all our hearts through faith? What if we prayed for each other to be rooted and grounded in love and to be filled with the fullness of God? What if we prayed, trusting God is more than able to do all we ask or imagine? I think we might see all kinds of incredible things break loose in our lives and the lives of those we love and serve.

Readings for tomorrow: Ephesians 5-6, Psalms 10

Reconciliation

Readings for today: Ephesians 1-2, Psalms 8

Over the years, I have been asked to lead the reconciliation process for different churches. It’s never easy. Often the seeds of conflict have been germinating for years, sometimes even decades. The impact of unresolved conflict on the life and vitality of the church is significant. The lack of forgiveness cripples ministry, poisoning the well of trust on which churches depend. Addressing the pain of the past is not easy. It requires patient, diligent work to make sure everyone feels heard. The stories are often heartbreaking. The church hurt is real. And it takes great courage and humility to forgive and let go of the anger, frustration, and bitterness from the past.

I think of one church I consulted with many years ago. Once a vibrant growing congregation in a suburb of a major city in the southern United States, they had gone through a split in the 1970’s and never recovered. The pastor had a charismatic experience that changed his life and tried to lead his church in that direction. When he faced resistance, he decided to leave and most of the people chose to follow him. The remnant left behind were saddled with a huge mortgage and could barely pay their bills. The next pastor came in and after several tumultuous years was unceremoniously fired because he couldn’t “grow” the church. A third pastor came and went. Then a fourth and a fifth. Each one lasting only a few years. Finally, I got involved during yet another painful pastor transition. We talked about the gospel imperatives of forgiveness and reconciliation. We created space for people to share their stories of heartbreak and pain. Things were said that had needed to be said for years. People were able to process, in many cases for the very first time and there was some degree of healing. But the process of forgiveness and reconciliation is not easy. It can take years. It takes patience and persistence to pursue it. And sadly, the initial momentum wore off and things stalled out. The last I heard, the congregation had folded.

Before we can forgive and reconcile with others, we must first acknowledge and recognize what God has done for us. We were “dead in our trespasses and sins.” We previously “walked in the ways of the world.” We were enslaved to the “ruler of the power of the air.” We were by nature “children of wrath.” We were without Christ. We were excluded from the citizenship of Israel. We were foreigners to the covenant of promise. We were without hope and without God. So what did God do? He brought us near by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. He tore down every dividing wall of hostility that existed between us. He nullified the Law with its demands. He made us one with Him and became our peace. And He proclaims this good news to us over and over again. Once this reality sets in, we are humbled. Once we come to grips with the vast, insurmountable distance God crossed to redeem us, our own differences seem petty by comparison. The pain and suffering and trauma we may have endured - while very real and important to address - is nothing compared to what God endured to save us. And this amazing grace begins to fuel our own efforts at forgiveness and reconciliation.

Nothing is impossible with God. No hurt is too deep for God to heal. No grief too great for God to comfort. No anger too much for God to calm. No wall too strong for God to tear down. No chasm too vast for God to cross. All it takes is faith. Faith to believe forgiveness is possible. Faith to believe reconciliation can happen. Faith to believe trust can be restored. Faith to believe in the power of the gospel.

Readings for tomorrow: Ephesians 3-4, Psalms 9

Imitate God

Readings for today: Ephesians 5-6, Titus 1-3

A basic question I am often asked is how to live a life that is pleasing to God. A life that is open to God. A life that is surrendered to God. People want to know what it means in the everyday to follow Christ. What does it mean to live a godly life? What does it mean to have a godly marriage? What does it mean to raise godly children? Work towards godly ends in our vocation? These are all great questions to ask as we think about what it means to be a Christian. Is it just a set of beliefs about God? An abstract theological system we ascribe to? A set of laws we have to obey? I prefer the way Paul describes it in the Book of Ephesians…

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

It starts with our perception of God. Is He a distant tyrant that exercises His rule over our lives whether we like it or not? Is He a loving Father who wants to bless and give good gifts to His children? If you lean towards the former, then the temptation will be to try to measure up. Try to prove yourself. White-knuckle your faith with an iron will and rigid self-discipline. If you lean towards the latter, you are set free to follow the example God sets for us in Jesus Christ. You can learn to imitate Him. Especially in love. As you walk with Him and talk with Him and spend time with Him, He promises to teach you a life of love. Extravagant. Abundant. Generous. Overflowing. This is the love of God and the love He wants us to walk in every single day. It is this love that should mark every relationship. It is this love that drives us to serve and submit to one another. It is this love that inspires obedience to His will. It is this love that changes how we parent, how we work, how we retire, and how we spend our free time. We don’t love to get anything from others, we love in order to give ourselves away. This is the secret to living a life pleasing to God.

Where do you find yourself imitating God in your life right now? Where is it easy? Where is it hard? What challenges do you face along the way? Are there certain people in your life that you find it hard to love? Lean into Christ. Follow His example. Rather than withhold love or keep the person at arm’s length or cut them out of your life, love even more deeply. Love even more fully. Love even more extravagantly. Love in a healthy, honest, transparent way. This is the way Jesus loved.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Timothy 1-6

Rich and Full

Readings for today: Ephesians 1-4

Rich and full. That’s how I describe my life to others. A friend of mine asked me the other day why I don’t ever tell anyone how busy I am. After all, he is a close enough friend to know the demands on my time. He knows how hard I run. He knows I pastor a church, teach seminary, train indigenous church planters internationally, and serve my denomination. He knows I have four children, all of whom are moving into adulthood. He knows I have aging parents and other family commitments. He knows I have a strong marriage of almost thirty years. He knows all this and yet he also knows how much I love my life. He can see in the way I live and lead how grateful I am for everything I have been given. So when he asked me why I never tell others I’m “busy”, I shared with him it’s because “busyness” is something we largely choose for ourselves. After all, I don’t have to do everything I do. I could easily step back from some of my commitments to get more time back in my life. Most people I know use “busyness” as an excuse or claim “busyness” as a complaint when, in fact, they are responsible for the choices they’ve made that create the “busy” conditions of their lives. And because I believe this, I choose to look at my life more positively. My life is “rich and full” and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It doesn’t mean there aren’t hard seasons or tough moments but those are to be expected in a fallen world. I choose to lean into Christ. I choose to lean into love.

That’s probably why I love the words from the Apostle Paul in today’s reading from the Message version of the Bible. In response to the “busyness” of his life, Paul says, “my response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” (Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭20 ‭MSG‬‬) Isn’t that a beautiful vision of the Christian life? Both feet firmly planted on love. Taking in all the extravagant dimensions of God’s grace. Living full lives in the fullness of God.

Does that describe your life? Why not? After all, God can do anything. Far more than you can imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! Do you believe Him? Do you trust Him? Of course, a full life with God doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges or obstacles to overcome. It doesn’t mean there won’t be trials and temptations. It simply means these things, by and large, won’t gain a foothold in your life. They won’t be able to gain any purchase. They won’t cling to you or define you or hold you back. Instead, you will be filled with God’s love and grace and mercy and peace in ways that pass all understanding.

Readings for tomorrow: Ephesians 5-6, Titus 1-3