God’s will is a hot topic among Christians. We are constantly trying to find out what His will is. Chris Brannon continues in our Unrivaled series, showing us how to live a life pleasing to God. Very simply, the will of God is to give thanks, to do right, and to not do wrong. That is God’s will for your life! It’s that simple! Paul’s primary petition for the Colossians was that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will.
We must live a life worthy of pleasing the Lord. A genuine knowledge of Christ reveals itself in transformed character in Christlikeness. The aim of believers in all their worthy conduct should be to please Him in every way. What does it mean to live a life that pleases God? We turn to the Apostle Paul to give us some ideas on what a life that pleases God looks like:
Bearing fruit in every good work. The idea of “bearing fruit” is not that foreign to us. If we purchased a fruit tree, planted it, and took care of it we would expect to be getting fruit from it in a matter of years. If after many years the tree was not yielding fruit, we would feel that the tree was defective or really not a fruit tree at all. Fruitfulness takes time. You don’t get any good fruit the first year you plant a fruit tree. It takes time for the tree to mature. The same is true for Christ followers. The change might not be immediate, but over time, we should be seeing a difference in the way people live.
Increasing in the knowledge of God. The life that pleases God is the one that “keeps on growing in knowledge”. It is continually seeking to know God better. We can spend all our time mastering information about God and not have a relationship with God. The life that pleases God is the one that yearns to know more about God so that they can know God better.
Strengthened with all power. The purpose of this power is that we might “have great endurance and patience”. It’s a strength that helps us endure the troubled times in life. God enables us to endure by giving us the strength of His Holy Spirit, the promise of His word and by reminding us that He is in control, only does what is good, never makes a mistake and that this world is not our home.
Giving thanks. Have you ever noticed how much we complain? We complain about the weather, our income, the government, other believers, traffic and long check out lines at the store. We thank God for what He’s given while at the same time feeling He should have given more. An attitude of thankfulness grows as we learn to open our eyes to the blessings we take for granted. We also grow in our gratefulness as we see how wonderful our Savior is. This is even more true of Christ.
Chris leaves us with the following questions: Do others see your faith in your living? Are you doing anything to grow in the knowledge of God? Are you living gratefully?