Who do you live to please?

Have you ever thought much about how you live your life? Specifically, who you live to please?

Three Ways to Live Your Life…

1) Live to please yourself. Living like this means you’re self-centered or me-centered. I read an article in Everyday Health that listed some general traits of a self-centered person. You may be self-centered if… you put yourself first always; you only care about your needs and wants; you’re unable to see another’s perspective; you just don’t care about others. We all show some of these traits from time to time; but if you exhibit them all the time, you are self-centered.

2) Live to please others. Living like this means you’re a people-pleaser. WebMD says you may be a people pleaser if… you agree with whoever is in front of you; you apologize for things that aren’t your fault; you aren’t able to say no; you change your personality depending on who’s around you; you determine your worth based on what others think of you. To be clear, all of us might exhibit some of these traits from time to time; but focusing only on pleasing others makes you a people-pleaser.

3) Live to please God. Living like this means you’re a God-pleaser… If you are a Christ-follower, this is the way to live your life! Early in his letter to the Colossian church, the Apostle Paul instructed the believers there (and us) to live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. (Colossians 1:10)

You can’t go wrong when you are living your life to honor God and please Him. When you get this right, your relationships soar! So how can I live a Christ-honoring, God-pleasing life… a life worthy of the Lord?

Four Components of a God-Pleasing Life (Colossians 1:9-14)

1) Expand my knowledge of Scripture and apply it in my life! (Col. 1:9b; 10)

Paul emphasizes “knowledge” of God and His will in two consecutive verses. The way to do that is to “know” Scripture. Knowing scripture will translate to applying scripture in your life. In that way, we know and follow God’s will, not our will. You can’t apply Scripture if you don’t know it! (Eph. 5:17)

Think about how you spend your time each week. There are 168 hours in a week. Most people spend about 6 hours/week caring for their pet, 7 hours grooming and 5 hours driving. How much time do you spend “growing in the knowledge of God”… learning and applying Scripture? Attending worship, a life group and studying scripture just 15 minutes a day takes less than 5 hours a week. If you want to live a God-pleasing life, commit time to learning and applying Scripture in your life! (Hebrews 4:12)

2) Bear fruit in every good work! (Colossians 1:10b). There are lots of good works where we can bear fruit. The Bible gives us at least four good works that bear fruit.

• Share the gospel with lost people. (Col. 1:6b). People are desperate for the hope and truth that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Are you opening your eyes to lost people in your life so you can share some good news with them?

• Offer praise to God. (Hebrews 13:15). Praise is the fruit of our lips! When we sing songs of worship or tell our God, and others, how wonderful, mighty, magnificent and glorious He is, we are bearing fruit.

• Give to support ministry needs. (Rom 15:26). Giving is a great way to bear fruit in your life! When you give to the local church, you not only support the Lord’s work there; but you also support the cooperative mission efforts of that church too.

• Exhibit Godly attributes. (Gal. 5:22) Are there any of these attributes you’re struggling with these days? Ask God to help you produce fruit that is pleasing to Him!

It pleases God when we are bearing fruit in our lives. Would you commit to bear fruit in these good works?

3) Count on God’s power for enduring difficult circumstances and difficult people! (Colossians 1:11). In the original language, Paul tells us that we need God’s strength to exhibit “patience” and “long-suffering”, which means enduring difficult circumstances and difficult people. Can I get an Amen?! (Eph. 3:20)

I’ve heard some folks who don’t yet believe say that Believers are weak and need a “god-crutch” to get by. But to those people, I would say: “God is not our crutch… He doesn’t prop us up, help us walk or just keep us standing upright; He carries us through the trials we face in life! And when we count on His power, it pleases Him! (Eph. 1:19-20)

4) Offer joy-filled thanks to God everyday! (Colossians 1:12-14). We have a lot to be thankful for… Make it a habit to offer God thanks every day! Do you know where you can start? Start by thanking Him for rescuing you from the dominion of darkness! Thank Him for loving you so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross to pay sin’s penalty for you! Thank Him that, in Christ, you are redeemed, set free, fully forgiven of your sins!

We have some choices for how to live our lives… We can live to please ourselves.We can live to please others. Or we can live to please God! If you want to live to please God, then incorporate these vital components in your life. For much more, click here to listen to: Steadfast - Part 2 - How to Live a God-pleasing Life.