20 DAYS IN 2 HOURS CHALLENGE: “BLESSINGS” (Day-5)

ARE YOU FORFEITING GOD’S BLESSINGS
BY LIVING A LIFE OF PLEASING YOURSELF?

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:
Whenever we have children who will soon be moving out on their own,
we want to help them by giving them as much information as we can, right?
In the process of sharing our wisdom and expressing our concern for them,
there is usually at least one thing we want to tell them to remember
(even if they forget everything else we have told them).

A mom may tell her son to always wear clean underwear
(in case they are in a car wreck).
I saw a cartoon that showed a policeman speaking to a mom and saying,
“Mrs. Smith your son was in a car wreck and we have some bad news.
Well, you see, unfortunately he was wearing dirty underwear”.
But on a serious note, we might say something like,
“If anything happens, call me!”

Paul knew he would soon be leaving the Ephesians and he was
trying to give them as much advice as he could before departing.
He told them how they should live as Gentile Christians
and he gave them some specifics.

Paul reminded them that at one time they were living
in sin (darkness), but because of Christ’s sacrifice
and their decision to submit to Him, they should
now be living as Christians (children of the light).

However, it seems that he wanted them
to remember above all else, that they should
“FIND OUT WHAT PLEASES THE LORD”.
This is great advice for us as well.

Whenever we live a life that is governed by doing what pleases
the Lord, our life will consist of goodness, righteousness, and truth.
When we please Him, we will be good to others
and have a sincere concern for their welfare.
Our concern will not be limited to words, but will include action.

When we please Him,
our focus will shift from worldliness to Godliness.
The things that used to lure us into sin will be less attractive to us.
We will have a greater concern for the lost, and we will
prepare ourselves in advance to speak to them, whenever
God gives us opportunities.

When we please Him,
we will be more sensitive to honesty and truth.
We will have feelings of guilt when we lie and we will
have a greater desire to be honest in spite of the consequences.
We will also know the boundaries of our honesty
(that doesn’t mean we will be dishonest, but we will
have the wisdom to know when some things should
not be mentioned until the appropriate time).

Although it is not listed in this verse,
I believe that when we please God we will receive a new
level of wisdom (if we ask for it), which prevents us from
falling prey to the flattery of others.

Proverbs reminds us of how our true friends will be honest
with us (even though we might not like it), while others with
bad intentions will smother us with whatever it takes for them
to be able to manipulate us.
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:6)

I recently spoke to a high ranking person in the police
department and he told me that there are countless
situations where men are preying on women who are
lonely and desperate for a relationship with a man.
He said their method is always basically the same.

They tell a woman how beautiful they are and how much
they are in love with them (and in some cases they promise
to make them wealthy).
And sadly, it is a technique that works all too often.
He said that some women claim they are in love with a
different man (and that he loves them) many times within
the span of a year.

Unfortunately, he said they will not listen to any advice from loved ones.
Instead they become angry and start defending the integrity
of this person they have known for only a few months,
and in some cases only weeks.
Once the hook is set, the predators start to manipulate the women
in such a way that they get access to some of their finances.

When we please the Lord, we have a greater sensitivity
to these kinds of ploys, and realize the importance of
meeting new people in Godly places, instead of through
social media, bars, dating websites, etc.

The Lord tells us that He is
the head of the church (which is His body).
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ
is the head of the church, his body, of which he
is the Savior. (Ephesians 5:23)
It’s not to say that it couldn’t happen in places we consider
safe, but when we are dedicated to pleasing God first,
I believe He gives us the capability to let wisdom
overrule our emotions, so we make wise decisions.

ACTION:
Is “finding out what pleases the Lord”
your number one priority?
If it is not and you are a Christian, it should be.
You cannot enjoy the blessings of fellowshipping with God,
if pleasing yourself has a higher priority than pleasing Him.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the advice contained in
Your Word. Help me to adjust my lifestyle so that pleasing
You is my highest priority. Show me how to open the door
to Your blessings of goodness, righteousness, and truth, by
finding out what pleases You, and then pursuing those things.
Thank You, Jesus for Your sacrifice for me, so that I no
longer have to live in darkness as I once did, but I can
now live in the light of being a child of Yours.”

20 Day Challenge – Day 1:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/07/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-1/

20 Day Challenge – Day 2:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/08/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-2/

20 Day Challenge – Day 3:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/09/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-3/

20 Day Challenge – Day 4:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-4/