Living to Please God3/12/2024 ![]() 1 Thessalonians 4:1 ~ "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." Believer, let living to please the LORD be the highest ambition of your life. How simple a thing it is to hear the command to please the LORD, but how difficult it can become in the trials and temptations of life. As the Apostle Paul was wrapping up this first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he reflected upon three things: first, he instructed them on how to live to please God; second, he recognized that they had already achieved a certain level of pleasing God; and third he encouraged them to do so even more. And so we begin with the first--instruction on how to please the LORD. Paul told the church that they had received from the Apostle and his companions how they ought to walk and please God. There is a necessary instruction that every Christian needs in order to live a life that is pleasing to God. And it is all found in the Word of God. Many who claim to be followers of Christ are devising their own schemes and plans that they enjoy or approve and do not even consult with God's written word. Yet, how is a person supposed to know how to please anyone without consulting that individual? We read in Ecclesiastes 7:29, "See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." The original design of man was to live for God's glory, but sin turned us after our own devices and now we cannot know how to do anything other than follow our own schemes unless God gives us His instruction. Thus, we must trust and follow His word by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please Him (see Hebrews 11:6). Next we move to the second--they had already achieved a level of pleasing God. And that is very true of the Thessalonian church. Consider what Paul said in the beginning of the letter. "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia" (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7). In the midst of affliction, the church received the word from the Apostle, and filled with the joy of the Spirit, lived out what they were told, becoming examples to all who were around. They looked to the Apostles and leaders of the church to gain the example they needed to live in such a way that it was pleasing to the Lord. How much have you achieved, dear one? Do you know some of the requirements of the Lord that instruct you on how to live, in order to please God? We can look to Hebrews 13:6 and learn how to please God through personal sacrifice: "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Or we can take to heart 1 Timothy 2:1-4 that teaches us to pray for those in leadership so that we can live peaceable and godly lives in this world--which is pleasing to God. And we take with dire warning Romans 8:8, "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." We conclude with the third--an encouragement to do so more and more. Living to please God is a journey of learning and growing, increasing in your knowledge of God and your faithfulness to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:9 states, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." And this is what all believers should do--take aim at a life that is pleasing to God. So, if you are just entering the day, let it be set for the glory and satisfaction of the Lord Almighty. The LORD has given you His word as the means by which you can know and trust Him. He who created you would not have you wander off into all manner of worldly schemes. Find, my friends, your deepest satisfaction in Him. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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