Living the Life

It’s really easy to think about our priorities and the things important to us. But how often do we question whether our priorities are God’s priorities? How often do we question how we are living our lives and whether we are living up to God’s expectations? Not of our own will and power, but that of the Holy Spirit who lives on the inside of the Christ follower (1 Cor 3:16). 

We know that when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become a new creature. Old things are put away and all things become new (2 Cor 5:17). Then the question is why do we keep doing the old things. According to Romans, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2). As our minds are renewed, then our hearts are changed and our actions began to line up with who we are. 

The more time we spend in the presence of God, the better we know Him and the better we know ourselves and who we are in Him. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. Just as we want to please those closest to us, as we draw closer to God and He draws closer to us (Jer 29:12-14), the more we want to please Him as well. We begin to think more of Him and less of ourselves. 

When we put Him first (Matt 6:33), it becomes more about what He wants than what we want. We recognize that He knows what’s best and that He sees what we don’t. We begin to recognize that His will for us is better than anything we can come up with on our own. We begin to understand that doing things His way, is the best way for us and gets the best results. We stop worrying about what others expect of us, because we realize they have no rule and reign over us unless we give it to them. We desire to live a life that reflects Him. We want to live up to His standard. We learn that we don’t control the outcome and that should take the pressure off. 

When we choose to be obedient and live the life God has called us to, a life reflective of the Son of God, we realize we don’t have to worry about the decisions we make or the outcomes (Heb 5:2-8). If we are obedient, God has it and He has us. James tells us to be doers of the word and not just hearers (Jam 1:22-26). God shares Himself with us out of His abundant love for us. He wants us to do well and therefore, He gives us instruction (Psa 32:8; Prov 3:5-6). When we follow the instructions, blessings come (Deut 28:1-14). When we don’t, we get the opposite. We all mess up. But do we put ourselves over God in our hearts? Are you living an obedient life or one of our own choosing? Do we follow God’s leading or that of our own desires? God gives us His Word so we will know Him better, as well as, how to live and obey? Are you living the life?