HOW IS MY LIFE PLEASING THE LORD?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as 
children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, 
righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. 
(Ephesians 5:8-10)

MEDITATION:
Our calling as Christians is to imitate Jesus Christ, 
but what big footsteps He left! 
Look at what our Heavenly Father said in the scriptures: 
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). 
How can we possibly live up to that?

Thankfully, God knows that we will never be perfect like Jesus. 
Knowing that we are burdened by the weaknesses of our flesh, He sees us 
as children who are still learning…a work in progress. 
Just like a mother who rejoices over her baby’s first steps, 
we can imagine that He delights in our faltering steps of obedience, 
as we strive to walk with Him.
Why? Because just as we smile when we see a baby struggling to walk 
(and we help them in their efforts), He sees those who love Him struggling 
to move forward in their obedience, and He helps them, when they ask.

The goal is growth. 
Once a toddler masters walking, 
his or her parents’ delight shifts to more mature achievements, like running. 
As long as we keep growing in our faith, 
we will never stop learning new ways to please our Father. 
He loves us and patiently cheers us on at each new level of maturity.

What’s important to the Lord is how our hearts are bent. 
In the midst of all our frailties, failures, and temptations, He sees 
the desires of our hearts and knows when we love Him and want to be obedient. 
Even in our stumbling, He helps us up and encourages us with His Word.
We just might be more pleasing to the Lord than we think we are.

If we’re prone to perfectionism, we need to give ourselves time to grow. 
The Father gives us time, 
so we need to learn to see ourselves through His eyes. 
He patiently waits, not to criticize our efforts, 
but to help us develop into the person He designed us to be.

PRAYER:
Have you been beating yourself up over your failures 
to develop the mindset of Jesus?
Pause for a moment, and honestly evaluate your desire to be like Jesus.
Are you actively trying to walk like Him and please the Father as He did?
Remember that God looks at your heart and He knows if your pursuit is real.
You might be able to fool others (and yourself), 
but you cannot deceive the Lord.
Also, never forget that He wants to help and encourage you in your efforts.

Whenever Satan tries to convince you that you are a huge disappointment to 
God, remind him (and yourself), that you are not idle, stagnant, or sliding 
backwards, but you genuinely love the Lord and are trying daily to do the 
things that please Him.
Remember that failure is a sign of trying.
However, don’t allow Satan to convince you 
to use failure as a crutch for being disobedient.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know the struggles I have in my efforts to please 
You. At the same time, You see the intentions and desires of my heart. I 
pray that You will continue to encourage me and help me in my efforts to 
keep moving forward. Rather than looking back and dwelling on my failed 
attempts, help me to continue looking for new ways to please You. I pray 
that with the help of the Holy Spirit, I can be more like Jesus every day. 
To have His concern for others and to be able to encourage and lift the 
spirits of those around me.”

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