I have been reading What did you expect: The realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp, it’s a book I recommend to all married people and single people, as it gives eternal and biblically perspectives to turn to when you feel like your marriage is not where it should be, or what you expected it to be.
Early in the book, he states that its easier for all of us to live an easy life vs a God-honoring life, why because we are simply wired selfishly and we live in little kingdoms governed by ourselves and not God. This truth struck me, while his application in the book has a lot to do with marriage, it seemed to me that the truth is all around. It’s easier for us to live an easy life than a God-honoring life. I thought about my moment to moment life, decisions, attitudes and I realized there rarely reflect God, instead, I am in the center of all these moments, it’s extremely difficult to wire my whole being to honor God, and yet that is exactly what He expects me to do every day, every hour, every minute as I claim to live for him.
How?
Serving and pleasing God
The truth of it is that we are all here to serve God and to be held accountable to him only. As the years have progressed, I have struggled to serve God, it becomes even more of a struggle as I find myself working in full-time ministry. It’ easy to see my full-time job as a service to the Lord and it is, however it’s an easy trap to fall into where I am worried about my supervisor’s approval, and how others view my work and be influenced by them. Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.”
While a good reputation is great it is not enough it is often short-lived, disappointing when I am underappreciated, and its empty honor. True blessings come only from serving with a desire to please God only.
Faithfulness in the hidden
It is much easier to serve and be good when people are watching. However, God’s Word makes it clear that faithfulness is required even when I am alone. “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:9.
If Jesus walked into the room at any given time, would I be ashamed of what I was doing, saying, or watching? Doing something in the hidden that could be damning if other people saw it is an indication that it is not pleasing to God.
God is in every moment of our days and living a God-honoring life is to have all “rooms” and areas of our lives open to God, his convictions, and his help.
What if my thoughts, words, and actions were projected on a screen for my spouse, friends, workmates, and everyone to see? That’s a scary thought, right? Truth is there is someone who constantly sees our thoughts; God and He is the most important.
Decisions
Living a God-honoring life is seeking His will in situations and decisions big and small. Most times our decisions are influenced by others. When it comes to God-honoring decisions they are rarely understood by close family and friends because there are made in faithfulness to God. It involves being bold and courageous to do what is right regardless of whether it is acceptable to others.
We made such a decision in 2017 when I couldn’t go back to the States, Joe packed all our belongings and came home to join me. It wasn’t easy or comfortable, a lot of people wondered and questioned why he could leave the “land of milk and honey” and go to an uncertain future. It was a step of faith and we knew it was the right thing to do and asked God for help. God gave us strength and peace to follow through the decision and it opened up an opportunity for us to grow in faith and our marriage and have a more fulfilling relationship with each other and ultimately God.
My take out
God wants to be the sole proprietor of my heart. Matthew 6:24 makes it clear when it says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Exodus 20:2-3 commands us not to have any other gods before the Lord, and Jesus said in Mark 12:30 that the greatest to commandment is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
God wants to be the Lord of our lives—not just with our words, but also with our actions. He wants us to carve out time for Him and commit our best to Him.
My new morning routine involves praying and asking God, “How can I honor You today? Please help me to honor You with the time, talents, body, finances, and heart You have given me?
We belong to God and may we honor him 100% with all He has given us.
We’d love to help you!
Marriage Mediation is a conflict resolution process for couples who are experiencing destructive conflicts but are committed to remaining married.