Living to Please God

God does not bypass our minds when it comes to His will for us.

"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is"  Eph 5:17

So, we shall seek out His will and not sit stagnant and waiting.

God's will for our lives, then, is to live a life pleasing to Him; that we be sanctified (made holy/set apart)--different than the crowd.  He further defines our sanctification in the verses following. We should be controlling our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable; making pure, right, Godly choices; and not participating in dishonorable actions or in the passion for what is forbidden. 

Matthew Henry's commentary says,

"The body is here called the vessel of the soul, which dwells therein  (1 Sa. 21:5), and it must be kept pure from defiling lusts. Every one should be careful in this matter, as he values his own honor and will not be contemptible on this account, that his inferior appetites and passions gain not the ascendant, tyrannizing over his reason and conscience, and enslaving the superior faculties of his soul. What can be more dishonorable than for a rational soul to be enslaved by bodily affections and brutal appetites? (3.) To indulge the lust of concupiscence is to live and act like heathens."

We are to avoid fornication and sexual immorality.  God's will, then, is for us to live in harmony with one another in brotherly love; not wronging or taking advantage of him.  Of this we are warned and will be punished for such sins.  But, of this we are "taught by God to do", that He has given us His Holy Spirit to do His Will in us.  We can't love the unlovable.....but God can. 
 

“And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” - Micah 6:8  That you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 1 Thess. 4:11

So, this is our calling in Christ.  Anything that detracts from our living/fleshing that out is not in the Will of God.  We know that God's will is the very best for us.  If we are His, we are committed, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to do His Will.  We are to pray to seek God's Will and heed the advice of Spirit-filled Christians.  Lastly, we look for providential circumstances and are to be sensitive to our desires.  God desires to reveal His will more than we desire to know it.

Psalm 32:8-9

 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
       I will counsel you and watch over you.

 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
       which have no understanding
       but must be controlled by bit and bridle
       or they will not come to you.

We need the Holy Spirit's help in discerning our motives.  Are they in line with God's revealed will in the Scripture?  Or, are they just a means of our own sinfulness---wanting what we shouldn't.  Isn't God sovereign over our desires, whether they be sinful or not? If He can not create sinful desires in us, can He be master over them in their use?

Here is where it gets muddy for me; but here is where it also gets downright simple. 

In my desire to raise Godly children (which is His will for me in scripture) for His Glory, everything I do then will have a tendril linking to this.  Did God give me these children to further His kingdom for His glory?  Did he charge us in their upbringing to mold our character for His glory?  Is not this the single most important task we have as parents--- to witness of Him to the next generation right before us?  Should we be pleasing God, controlling our bodies, loving each other (those in our households are the hardest to love), loving our neighbors, minding our own business, working with our own hands and teaching these children to do it also?  Understanding His will so as to teach it to them so as they could teach it to their children?  Were not whole nations judged because the leaders neglected to teach it to the fathers who in turned neglected to teach it to their offspring? 

These are the questions we should ask whenever we come up against decisions that will effect eternity.  This is how we discern God's will in our lives.

Three hours later..........as I got up to clean my contacts, my headache went away.  I read a story of Jehonadab, the greatest dad in the bible (2 Kings 10:15-31).  This dad has far reaching effects through his children and his children's children through the generations.  You can read the whole story here: 

http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_jehonadab.htm

Here are some highlights:

"III. Jehonadab ordered his family life around God's word. (Jeremiah 35:1-19) Jehonadab set house rules, and his family obeyed him. He must have been a consistent and faithful worshipper of the God of Israel. We know from Luke 6:40 that faith is more caught than taught when it tells us, "A pupil when he has been fully trained will be like his teacher." When we want to see how well we are living the Christian life, take a look at our children and grandchildren. Our personal and direct influence can extend to the third generation by reaching and influencing our grandchildren for Christ, but we will need a lot of gravitas to reach six generations with the power of our faith. Our memory and testimony would have to be strong.

IV.Jehonadab set standards to preserve his family spiritually. (Jeremiah 35:1-19) The practical application is difficult to implement, but he set up strict guidelines. He wanted to assure that his family could survive the changes in Israel that would inevitably come when the nation was destroyed. He took measures thatwould permanently set them apart. They were to live differently than those around them. They were to maintain moral purity; hence no wine, and they were to remain a nomadic people, building no houses and planting no vineyards. We would say today that he was old fashioned and behind his times. In reality, he was ahead of his times, preparing his family for the tragedy to come upon their nation in a few short years. Many other families didn't survive because they had been living the "good life." Jehonadab's clan did survive and moved on because they believed the word of the Lord through the prophets and made necessary plans. These were practical plans with a spiritual goal. The key ingredient was Jehonadab 's setting his family a spiritually and morally. He wanted them to be separated believers. What should the modern Christian do to follow his example? When we blend in with the culture of the world, testimony for Christ may disappear altogether. Home schooling and Christian schooling would fit the example. Demanding a pure and moral life for our children would be like Jehonadab, as would teaching them to avoid worldly influences and preferring a simple life.

We would encourage them to make their closest friends among their families and the Body of Christ. We can tell our children that "brothers and sisters are permanent friends" when they are feeling lonely and wondering if their peer groups will accept them. Personally teaching them a trade or profession insure that they will be able to support themselves and the work of the Lord, showing them how to stay out of debt, instructing them in the necessary disciplines of godliness - Bible study, prayer, family worship-would practically protect and prepare them if the culture and society crash, as well they might, our children will be like the children of Jehonadab, safe in the walls of Jerusalem when others have failed or fallen."

We do this for the Glory of God as we build an army who will witness of Him.  We are doing this when our little ones play with neighbor kids and look for ways to speak of the magnificent power of the Lord in their lives.  We are doing this when those children eagerly run home to their parents telling them that they have accepted Jesus in their hearts--giving a reason for the hope that lies within them.  We are doing this when the newspaper telephones our home wanting to interview our oldest daughter on why she is committed to courtship and especially why she still lives at home at 25.  We are doing this by leading woman's bible studies in our churches, ministering to new home school families, witnessing on the street corners passing out tracks, showing up at abortion clinic rallys and speaking out at board meetings.  Being busy working to train, educate and disciple those he has placed before us for no other reason than to build up the kingdom of God. 

May He receive the increase as we decrease.  May He receive the glory as we, equipped by His mighty power, continue to perservere and run the race for the goal set before us--- that of raising a Godly offspring for His glory to the next generation!

~gail