Text- Galatians 1:10 – "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ."
Today, I want to admonish you to live your life with full consciousness of the ever-abiding power & presence of God. If we will genuinely please God with our lives, we must realign our minds to derive its satisfaction and accomplishment from divine approval.
There are many reasons why people don’t ‘misbehave’. This depends on where there utmost sense of approval comes from. I have listed and tried to briefly explain some of those reasons below. I want you, as you go through the list, to examine thoroughly what your own conviction is and why you are “behaving right”.
1. Law For instance, some won't kill because they don’t want to go to jail, not necessarily because they fear God, or because they value human life that much.
2. Civility Some unbelievers are so civil; you won’t suspect that they could be evil. Don’t be the kind of Christians who has a lot formal politeness and courtesy in behavior and speech because of civil standards. Let the word of God be your standards.
3. Science An example of this is to say, “Abstinence is the best prevention against STD, so I'll not have sex”. A person who says this is behaving right because of scientific facts, not necessarily because he/she wants to avoid sin.
4. Support group Support groups are very good, but they should not replace the word of God in our lives. A teenager may refuse to have sex because she promised her parents not to, but that may not last too long. It is our resolve to obey God that has the capacity to endure all forms of temptations.
5. Current Trends Someone may decide not to wear a cloth because it's no longer in vogue, and not because it's revealing. It means the day a revealing cloth is what’s in vogue, she will wear it. This example shows how flawed our convictions are, when they are based on current trends.
6. Societal Standards Take for instance; Gay marriage is gradually becoming acceptable in the society, so if societal standards were your reasons for not having homosexual relationships, that resolve will soon fail. A young lady may choose not to have premarital sex because of what people will say if she gets pregnant; the day she learns of contraceptives, that resolve will fail!
7. The infallible Word of God As believers, our actions should be guided by this, “God's word says so, and I want to live a life that pleases Him”
2 Timothy 2: 9 “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity”
PRAYERS
1. Lord, I choose to live a life that will please you. Please I need your grace in doing so.
2. Lord, if there is any area of my life where my convictions are wrong, help me to realign before I face what can destroy my determination.
3. Lord, I pray that in the face of trials and temptations, my resolve to serve and to please you will not fail.