17
Jan '25
How to Live the Kind of Life that Pleases Our Lord
17
Jan '25
Introduction: Pleasing our Lord should be #1 on our list. Right? Is it possible? How? Every day? Failures, faults, and fears can block us. But inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul lays out to the church of Ephesus — and to us today — five ways to live a life that pleases the Lord:
1. Watch Your Step CAREFULLY! (Ephesians 5:15) – “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”
“Circumspect”: Latin: “looking around”; Greek: “accuracy & precision.” Be cautious — think of a yellow light!
2. Use Your Time WISELY! (Ephesians 5:16) – “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
“Redeem”: Buy back (wouldn’t you like to do that?). “Days are evil”: The world, the flesh, and the devil pull us constantly.
3. Fill Your Tank DAILY! (Ephesians 5:18) – “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
“Be filled” (Greek: plerusthe): Present tense: Continuous action — go on being filled (because we leak!). Plural form: For everyone (not just for Charles Stanley — it’s for me and you!). Passive mood: We can’t fill ourselves; we need God to fill us.
4. Sing from Your Heart to the Lord JOYFULLY! (Ephesians 5:19) – “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
When praises go up, blessings come down.
5. Thank God CONTINUALLY! (Ephesians 5:20) – “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thanksgiving is thanks giving. Notice: “For all things.”
Conclusion: I know what you’re thinking… “Three out of five isn’t bad!” Or, “We can’t do that. It’s unachievable.” No, we can’t (in ourselves). But if we: 1. Admit we can’t, 2. Believe and trust Him to enable us, and 3. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit, it is possible. Otherwise, the Lord wouldn’t have had Paul write it down for us. Not perfection, but pleasing!
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese