First Love - A Life Pleasing to God

If you pay attention closely, you can tell what is someone’s first love. 

If, for a Christian, his/her first love is God, Christ, His church....it will be evident by what shows in his/her life. If it is not God, Christ, the church....it will be blaring and screaming something else. 

Priorities are evident if we pay attention.

If I were to ask someone what was most important in my life, if I'm honest, sometimes it might look like things other than God, Christ, and the church were most important.  Social media isn't always an appropriate "judge" of what's most important in someone's life, but on the other hand....that's what we put out for others to see.  Yes, our close family and friends and acquaintances can see other examples, as well, but so much of our true life is hidden.  That's okay.  the Bible tells us to live quiet lives. 

It's appropriate that the passage below is under the heading, "A Life Pleasing to God".  

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.


9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

This is my desire, so I should make it a goal to evaluate and judge my life by this standard in God's Word.  May my first love be what God desires for it to be.  

What is the Basis for Your Decisions?

Our sermons yesterday were very, very good.  They always are, but these two especially got me to thinking.  (Note:  To listen to the sermons, click HERE.  The morning sermon is titled: Beautiful Things.  The evening sermon is: Escaping the People-Pleaser Trap)

Here are a few statistics Ken gave in the morning sermon:

"62% of people (in the U.S.) say that they are deeply spiritual."

That seems about right.  Sadly not more do, but it's about where I would have thought it would be.

"Only 14% make their decisions based on what God's Word says."

This is the shocking part of the statistic.  Only 14% of people use God's Word to make decisions.  Hmmmm......I see a problem, do you?  The saddest part of this statistic is that it seems to point out the fact that many of those who would call themselves Christians don't even use God's Word to make their decisions.  And we wonder why things go wrong in our lives.  Perhaps, and most likely, it's because we're using the wrong guide to make our decisions!  

What about you?  Are you one of the 14% that makes decisions based on what God's Word says or are you part of the 86% that does not?

The basis of the sermon was the fact that we don't always fulfill the mission Christ gave us - to tell others about Him.  We don't do this because we let other things shape our "World View".  This is evident by the above statistics.  

A challenge for this week is to try to make every decision according to what God would say and would want you to do.  How do you know what He would want you to do?  By praying to Him for guidance and wisdom, and by reading His Word - the Bible.  Ken's lesson pointed out the fact that God's "World View" is the Bible.  That should be our "World View" as well.  No other "World View" will please Him.

Be sure to take the time to listen to the sermons on the link!  You'll be glad you did!

Hide it in Your Heart

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16

Sunday our preacher challenged us to get into God's Word even more, by memorizing scriptures.  He talked about the "Armor of God" and the sword, which is the Word.....God's Word.....that will give us what we need to fight in the battle against Satan.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

As the end of 2012 comes, and the new year begins soon, many people will make resolutions.  These resolutions often have to do with the Bible:  Reading it through in a year, reading it every day, or maybe as Ken's challenge suggested, memorize more scriptures throughout the year.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

As Christians, we need God's Word in our lives.  We need to be able to use it to fight against Satan and the evil in the world.  But we can't use it if we don't know it.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

Psalm 119:9

Followers of God will want to know what His Word has to say.  We will be eager to read it and to learn it.  Or we should be.....

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Psalm 119:37

You and I can't rely on someone else to read God's Word for us.  We can go to Bible class.  We can listen to sermon after sermon.  We can even teach children about the Bible.  But unless we're actually reading it and studying it for ourselves, we will never grow and mature as God wants us to.  We will never become more like Jesus without reading about how Jesus lived.  We can know about Him, but we won't come to know Him personally.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

God's Word - the Bible - is truth.  It is the ONLY source of what is really truth and what is really right. It has all of the answers we need about any subject.  We don't need any other self-help books.  The Bible is all we really need.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22

People in other countries must risk their lives to read their Bible.  They have to sneak around and hide to get together to study God's Word.  Yet we in America have it right in our homes and neglect it.  Why?  Because we in American have too much stuff.  We're too busy.  We want to be  entertained.  How sad.  So often we don't realize the treasure we have in God's Word!

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

His Word is all we need.  Do you believe that?