A leader's Instruction on Pleasing God

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us  instruction  as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. (1 Thessalonians 4:1 NASB)
As a pastor and leader one of my responsibilities is to provide clear and practical instruction on how to live a life that is pleasing to God. In addition, to providing instruction on how to excel even more in pleasing God. It is one thing to get someone to start their walk or Christ adventure, it is a whole other thing to model and empower them to excel, to always take next steps, positioning themselves for new depths in the life worship experience. It is always harder to finish then it is to begin.  Followers of Christ start off with a "come and see" mindset, but the further they go in sanctification they begin to experience what Jesus meant when He said, "come and die". This progress in transformation is to be both modeled and intentionally incarnational.

The overarching question...how do we do this? How do we as leaders model and instruct followers of Christ in how to live a life that is pleasing to God? What will it look like and how do we transfer these basic and advance principles so that they can be replicated in the lives of others?
1. What pleases the Lord? Total and unlimited love for, out of obedience to, sacrificial life worship, and surrender to God.
2. Starting daily in the basics: prayer or conversation with God, adoring His awesomeness with thanksgiving, speaking things that are unseen into being and bringing His beloved before Him through petition. An immersion in His word: find a God thought, unpack what it means to you, how you will make it live and with whom will you share it? Regular tithing and sacrificial giving. Service to Christ's body and intentionally sharing your Christ life story with pre-Christians.
3. Walk with a mentor: Time shared with someone who is more mature in Christ who will listen, model and challenge you in your walk with Christ.
4. Share life in community: gather with other believers who strive to live out the great commandment and the great commission. Share each other's burdens, encourage and empower each other in ways that constantly point to a deeper relationship and life expression with Christ.

My Life Expression of Worship

One of my life verses that I believe is key to my walk with Christ is Romans 12:1: Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (NASB)

It is amazing how much scripture comes to life when the Holy Spirit speaks it with another layer of depth and conviction. (That is the “living and active” part of God’s word. Heb. 4:12) Let me unpack this verse as I understand it today. God’s mercies or compassion brings both a comfort and conviction. Comfort knowing that he forgives us our sins, our utter wickedness when we respond to him in repentance. So too, it is convicting; knowing that He is merciful causes me to not continue sinning or at best it expresses His light that shines brightly revealing the right path I am to take. It is because of God’s mercies that we are able to thrive in righteous living.

How are we to live righteously in view of God’s mercies?

It is based on the type of life offering we present to Him. Remember in Genesis 4 the story of Cain and Abel where the brothers each brought an offering to the Lord. One offering was regarded (Abel) and the other rejected by God (Cain). It can be said, that Cain wasn’t rejected because of his offering, but his offering was rejected because of Cain. Abel’s offering was of the first and best of his flock: unblemished, and numerous it was an offering of total adoration and given not grudgingly but more so the heart-set that he couldn’t wait to present his treasured offering to the Lord. Cain on the other hand offered some of his produce, meaning he reluctantly gave, his heart was not God focused but self-focused. With Abel it was the very best part of his being that he gave to God his offering was pleasing, while Cain simply went through the motions sacrificing virtually nothing. I know people who attend religious meetings and participate in church activities but there is no proof that they're true believers. It's possible to have "a form of godliness" but never experience its saving power (2 Tim. 3:5). "These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me" (Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8). The most costly sacrifices apart from the submission of the heart can never make the worshiper right before God (Ps. 51:16-17). "The way of Cain" (Jude 11) is the way of self-will and unbelief. To make it hit even closer to home, how often do we go to church, small group or to a meeting because we feel obligated, not because we want to give the very best of ourselves to God and the brethren? We are to present every part of our being as a living and holy sacrifice, meaning we don’t just give Him the parts that are comfortable and convenient, that would be to blatantly show contempt for the Holy and His body the church. It reflects our heart when we complain, hold back, or don’t really engage. This can be measured by our prayer life (non-existent or the same powerless verbiage) Word time: (enough time for a “box check” but it is not living and active in your life) Fellowship: (never challenging others spiritually, nor allowing yourself to be challenged) “Other Lens”: (how do you view those around you, the homeless, different ethnicities, or the famous EGR?)

The crux of our Christian life is the condition of our beating hearts. It either beats for the Creator or for His creation or both. Many of us try to worship God through a “percentage” life perspective. We give God a certain percentage of our life while giving another percentage to other things, people or to ourselves. God deserves nothing less than complete surrender and a “to die for” commitment from His children. (100%) What stirs my heart is the haunting truth that not all sacrifices were/are accepted. There was no “regard” for Cain’s offering and in many other accounts in scripture. There was no unleashing of divine power, and thus was not pleasing the Lord. Everything we think, say and do is our expression of life worship to God. We either worship as Cain or we worship like Abel.

So here are my questions:

·        How does viewing and receiving God’s mercies motive you to live a holy and pleasing life to Him?

·        What is one “blemish area” that you are still holding on to that you want removed from your life? How does it negate your life expression of worship?

·        Are you seeing divine power in and through your life or just in the lives of those around? (2 Tim. 3:5)

·        What percentage numbers would you put on your expression of life worship? (80/20, 90/10, 60/40 etc.)

·        What does “holy” look like to you? How can you increase your life percentage of life holiness?

·        Who will you share your heart discoveries based on this devotional challenge?

Receive His Truth

There is a Bugs Bunny cartoon that speaks volumes to the fact that we are what we receive; we fulfill what we believe to be true about us. In the cartoon, Elmer Fudd is chasing Bugs through the woods firing his gun, when off in the distance a delivery truck carrying various costume hats hits a bump in the road the back door flies open and out come the many hats flowing in the breeze. The chase continues but now one of the hats lands on Bugs and he becomes a game warden and proceeds to bust Elmer for some hunting violation. As the cartoon unfolds the various hats land on the two characters and with each of them transforming into the person the type of hat represents. When the hat blows off they go back to the chase.

Wouldn’t it be cool if that happened in our lives? When our kids are sick we put on a doctor’s hat and cure them or a banker’s suit when we need money, a clown suit when we are sad. (Ok, scratch the creepy clown suit) you get the idea. I have good news for you. God says that we are clothed with Christ, which means we are transformed into being just like Jesus. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes. Galatians 3:26-27 (NLT) We are told to put on the full armor or God, meaning we are to receive what is promised to those who dress themselves by faith in Christ. (See Ephesians 6:10-17) We are declared holy, righteous, free, powerful, dead to sin, God’s inheritance and much more. We don’t have to wait until random hats plop on our heads to be transformed into who we really are. We as followers of Christ have the mighty hand of God to clothes us with himself and to anoint us with his truth because his word is truth. We have a choice as to how much like Jesus we will reveal. We simply need to receive what God’s word already declares is ours and live accordingly.  We will receive the crown of life (See James 1:12) meaning eternal life with Him in Heaven.  That is the “hat” I want God to place on my head someday, but until then I want to be immersed in Christ, completely covered with Him so that I can be Him for this lost and broken world. Anyone want to join me? 

Lead with Grace

How often do we desire “justice” when someone hurts us or when we see somebody mistreated, or a heinous crime took place and the authorities believe they have the perpetrator? We look at these hurtful people with great distain. It is so easy to look at people unknown to us, people we have no connection with and desire grave justice. “They deserve everything they get”, we might say. How do you navigate your mind when you see someone shoplift, a lazy or always late employee, someone who makes an illegal U-turn, a lone driver in the carpool lane, or a person on a news clip caught on tape during an armed robbery? What about the person who cuts you off on the road and almost causes a major accident, do you like me wish your car came with a missile launching option? We all have our “hot buttons” those things that set us off into to angerville or to the land of “justice”.

In 2 Samuel 24 you read about King David incited by Satan to take a census of his military strength. God was the one who brought victory in all of David’s battles, but for some reason…let’s call it pride David wants his warriors to spend the next nine months or so to count every able body for his army. God wasn’t against taking a census as we see in Exodus 30:11-16, but the fact that this was to see how powerful and successful David’s kingdom was instead of raising money for the work of the Lord. It was for David’s glory not God’s. Even David’s top general and least spiritually receptive Joab was against this kind of census. Biblical scholar William Barclay wrote, “Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow," which was the case here. It took over nine months’ time to take the census and for David to come to his senses. After the count was given he repents. The next morning the prophet Gad identified the sin and spoke the Lord’s judgment over David and the nation Israel. David was indeed guilty, and what is so amazing is that God gave David the choice of what the punishment would be. The punishment was not just for David but for all of Israel as their own sin angered the Lord.

The next morning the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message:  “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”  So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me.”  “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands. 2 Samuel 24:11-14 (NLT)

Notice the choice that David made, he banked on the mercy of the Lord his God; he put his life and that of his nation in the hands of the Lord’s grace. He later is asked to build an altar to the Lord as a burnt and peace offering. It was then that the plague on Israel stopped.

It is our pride that causes us to judge, causes us to see people and life through a negative lens. Our pride blinds us and hardens our hearts towards those who are evil, wicked and the ignorant. Those are the very people who need us to lead with grace, to lead with a heart of compassion and hopefully love them towards repentance.

Take a personal inventory:

Where do you need God’s grace? (They usually spring up in relationships). Who do you need to be gracious to? Who has pushed your hot buttons so much that you are praying for a missile launcher for Christmas? How do you see your hosts who never return any of your attempts of contact? Where might you find areas of pride in your life? (Saying nowhere might be a good indicator that there is some). Where do you need to repent? Is there an area in your life that Satan is trying to get access to? (Are you contemplating any areas of compromise?)

Why the Delay

I get lazy in my praying. I fail to ask God for more of Him in my life; fail to ask that I would be more like Him and that more would be done in and through my life. When the answer doesn’t seem to come I get discouraged and stop praying in that manner. I forget that the Lord tests those whom He loves and that delays are really those tests. Part of His delay is to discern if what I am praying is really from the depth of my soul or a mere whim from my head. If I keep seeking the heart of God for a particular matter I have a better understanding as to what the outcome or answer might be. This seeking of the heart of God for a particular outcome, change or whatever the request is also reveals whether or not my prayer is sincere or shallow. I need to keep seeking Him, but not for the answer/s sake but for the new depth I will glean from the heart of God. The answers to our prayers are always secondary results. So there is a need for a larger capacity of the Lord in my life, a larger infilling of His Holy Spirit. Because the lord knows me completely, He knows how much I can handle. For example If He were to answer my requests for more of Him in my life and he fulfilled that request even if it was a deep and sincere yearning on my part; He knows that I would be like old wine skins that burst from the amount of new wine. The Lord gives in small portions according to the capacity of the individual and not all at once. His wisdom in these matters is far beyond my comprehension.

Lord in the midst of my learning curve, I ask for a larger capacity so that you may fill me up with your Holy Spirit. May my heart connect with yours as I live this life and may my prayers be pleasing to you. Thank you for letting me know that you know me better than I know myself and that you won’t take me any place that I am unable to go. I want to ask of you more, I want to seek your heart for matters of my heart to make sure that I gain you even if I miss the answer to my prayer. 

A King in Training

A King in Training

In 1 Samuel 26, David is on the run again from King Saul. Apparently, the event in the cave where David spared Saul’s life while he took a potty break was a very short account. Saul once again brings his heavy hitters, 3,000 elite troops to hunt for David. Saul’s obsession to kill the object of his jealously and threat to his kingdom rendered him insane. When we allow our fears and insecurities to envelope our whole being, our sense of reality dissipates and it renders us into a position of insanity. Logic and reason will not penetrate a mind that is encapsulated or bound by fear.

David aware of the hunting party sends out spies from his hiding place in the wilderness to verify the report of Saul’s arrival. David must of thought, “you have got to be kidding me, I thought we came to an agreement, I thought he was through chasing me, what is he doing?” David decided to peruse Saul’s camp one night to look around. Inside a circle of slumbering warriors lay Saul with his spear and jug of water next to his head. David was given another opportunity, another test, another chance to rid himself of his enemy, another step towards the kingship that he was rightly his. David was tired of running, his men were tired of being away from their families and the men began to doubt David’s leadership. I imagine his men telling him to just kill Saul so they can all get on with their lives. Abishai even went as far as bringing God into the conversation, “God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!” (v.8). David again plays the “anointing of God” card and doesn’t allow anyone to harm Saul. Instead, he walks inside the circle of snoring warriors and takes Saul’s spear and water jug as proof of his innocence. Nobody wakes up! God had put the men into a deep sleep while all the drama too place. More proof that this episode was yet another challenge, another lesson in character building that would shape God’s apprentice king.

To me the idea of all this chasing and running was a waste of time. I hate wasting time! What I fail to realize in the midst of the mundane, in the midst of the unexplained and seemingly waste of time are lessons in character shaping; life lessons that prepare us for the next steps in our faith adventure. David would not have been the king that he was without this time of testing and adversity. You and I would not be the men and women of God that we are without the areas of character development that we have gone through. I think we waste time trying to find out what God is doing in the midst of the unexplained trials of life. We should just embrace it and believe that God is on the move whether we figure it out of not. The more we trust, the more we relinquish control and the need to be in the know the better our spiritual development will go.

I close with the words of James, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Chasing the Wrong Enemy

I have been reading the book of 1 Samuel and continue to glean many excellent leadership thoughts to empower others who walk this great Christ adventure. Chapter 23 depicts the chasing of recently anointed but not ready for prime time David son of Jesse by the spiritually insane king of Israel Saul. What jumped out at me was that king Saul was chasing David all over the place, in Philistine territory (the known enemy) and other potentially unfriendly areas. Both were anointed king, both were on team Israel and yet spinning their wheels playing hide and go seek while their true enemies were raiding their homeland.

Leaders, what are you chasing after? What internal and external enemies do you need to stop chasing? Who on your team are you at odds with thus convoluting the vision and mission of your organization?

Often we as leaders chase after things that inhibit us from pursuing the important relationships that God has blessed us with. Satan is a master of distracting us with people, causes and exploited ideals causing us to miss what God is doing and desires for us to partner with him. So ask the Lord to reveal what enemies you might be chasing, those He never gave you the tennis shoes in order to run after.