Jude 2

People have been praying for me and my family here for a while. We were out of church for a long stretch. We've been attending a local church now for about 2 months or so and we're just disconnecting the excuses, conditions, and qualifiers and wanting to be at a point where we say, "Okay, Lord, here we are and we're ready to obey." No looking back, no second guessing past decisions and getting weighed down by them, good or bad. So, I guess I'm asking for you all to keep praying for us. We really do want to return to the days of our lives when our all-consuming desire was to please God. That got lost somewhere along the way. Now He has been gracious enough to rekindle our hearts and minds toward Him. Pray for our surrender, obedience and even zeal.

Thanks -- and I mean that.

I believe in you. It would give me great joy to see you walking in your Divine destiny and 100% sold out to God's best for you and your family.

dolfan wrote:People have been praying for me and my family here for a while. We were out of church for a long stretch. We've been attending a local church now for about 2 months or so and we're just disconnecting the excuses, conditions, and qualifiers and wanting to be at a point where we say, "Okay, Lord, here we are and we're ready to obey." No looking back, no second guessing past decisions and getting weighed down by them, good or bad. So, I guess I'm asking for you all to keep praying for us. We really do want to return to the days of our lives when our all-consuming desire was to please God. That got lost somewhere along the way. Now He has been gracious enough to rekindle our hearts and minds toward Him. Pray for our surrender, obedience and even zeal.

Thanks -- and I mean that.

God will HONOR and ANSWER your prayers, if you truly mean it, and I believe that you do mean it. God knows.

Practice "hearing Him" in your life. Stay tuned in, and ask Him to lead you. He will. Get in HIS WORD and with HIS PEOPLE....praying here for you.

dolfan wrote:We really do want to return to the days of our lives when our all-consuming desire was to please God.

Question: How do you please God?

God has rekindeled the desire in your hearts. This is not by chance, but by design. I have no doubt that God will continue to woo you, lead you into His plan and destiny for your life and for your family.

BTW: Not so sappy

You please God by loving him with all your heart, soul, mind, and body.

Dolfan, praying for your family.

MacUser wrote:

dolfan wrote:We really do want to return to the days of our lives when our all-consuming desire was to please God.

Question: How do you please God?

First, by not making decisions that displease Him?!?! Seriously, living like Jesus did. "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." We've discussed the simple fact that Jesus did what His Father did and told Him to do. We also know that was because Jesus loved His Father and was loved by Him. That's pretty much it in a nutshell, I'd suppose. Obeying Him is loving Him.

Paul said this in Colossians 1

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

There has just been a ..... hmmmmm...... shortage of fruit, growth in knowing God, and finding strength in Him and a shortgage of joyful thanksgiving. And, to nod to what you've been saying in other posts, I had no reason not to since I am "qualified" by Him as an heir.

dolfan wrote:First, by not making decisions that displease Him?!?!

Dolfan.
Quickly..My simple question was to clarify trying to "please" God by our works.

Hebrews 11:6
6. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him

.

Many times we all say that we want our lives to please the Lord referring to Good works and Good conduct etc.. and we can DO ALL THESE things and still NOT please God. Nowhere is it said in the Bible that "Without good conduct and good works it is impossible to please God". It clearly says that WITHOUT FAITH.. it is impossible to please God.

Hebrews 11:1-2
1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2. This is what the ancients were commended for.

If you want to please God 100% already. Just have Faith. Will you do Good works? That comes naturally with it.

Well, I have to maintain and believe that if I am not doing good things, doing what I know to be good and not omitting things I know to be good, that I don't have faith. If I am not actually doing what Jesus did and said, my faith is meaningless. But, I know fully that none of us can perform any number or kind of deeds or actions and thereby endear ourselves to God. For example, God loves the cheerful giver. If you are giving from a sense of obligation only, and have no comprehension as to what good your gift is intended to accomplish and have no appreciation for the financial accountability to God and the trust required to yield your money to Him, your deed is meaningless. Cheer in giving is really faith in the One to whom your service is directed. Same thing with all other actions, right? I guess I still am wondering why this keeps coming up.

This is just a guess, but I suspect that MacUser's primary ministry gifts do not include evangelism or pastor.

dolfan wrote::I guess I still am wondering why this keeps coming up.

Ah my fellow gracious gentlemen.. it comes down to motivation. We are all equal in this. Regardless if you are a Pastor.. or whatever ( insert x here ).. you preach/teach/serve in ministry capacity because you are so blessed to do so ( it's by HIS GRACE ONLY ) and a reflection of His Son's spirit inside of you. You are 100% in right standing with God just by Faith - THIS pleases Him and not the other way around. If you can work and please God then Jesus died in vain.

Not out of any works to keep you saved, level, from sliding back, from religious peer pressure or other creating yet newer laws for you to follow etc. These rules now will be written on your heart.

That yearning you feel is relationship. He is calling you first, maybe your entire family into a better understanding of whom He really is. That is absolutely thrilling and my goal was to just not offer possibly offer Him something in reply that He isn't requesting from you.

Your insight, talents, and love will be a tremendous assets to any body of believers and I encourage it!! Yet be aware.. you can spend all of these and yourself and still never reign in life from receiving the free Gift of RIGHTEOUS and Gift of GRACE. ( Romans 5:17)

Again.. why? Motivation was my key concern. God Bless you and your beautiful family!

God Bless

MacUser wrote: Ah my fellow gracious gentlemen.. it comes down to motivation. We are all equal in this. Regardless if you are a Pastor.. or whatever ( insert x here ).. you preach/teach/serve in ministry capacity because you are so blessed to do so ( it's by HIS GRACE ONLY ) and a reflection of His Son's spirit inside of you. You are 100% in right standing with God just by Faith - THIS pleases Him and not the other way around. If you can work and please God then Jesus died in vain.

I think I agree if what you mean is my works alone please God. My works are not works at all if they're not born in faith, done by faith, motivated because of faith, and aimed at obedience with faith. They're just "stuff I do", I guess. I would say, and this won't surprise you, that the faith that is of God is a working, active, functioning, doing faith. To him who knows to do good and doesn't, it is sin. The converse of that truth is also true -- to him who knows to do good and does it is obedient. We can't "know to do good" outside of God's formation of that in our hearts, our consciences, as we live disciplined lives of faith in Him. I just cannot for the life of me see a separation between our faith and our actions.

Not out of any works to keep you saved, level, from sliding back, from religious peer pressure or other creating yet newer laws for you to follow etc. These rules now will be written on your heart.

True, brother, true.

That yearning you feel is relationship. He is calling you first, maybe your entire family into a better understanding of whom He really is. That is absolutely thrilling and my goal was to just not offer possibly offer Him something in reply that He isn't requesting from you.

Gotcha. I'm all the way with you.

Your insight, talents, and love will be a tremendous assets to any body of believers and I encourage it!! Yet be aware.. you can spend all of these and yourself and still never reign in life from receiving the free Gift of RIGHTEOUS and Gift of GRACE. ( Romans 5:17)

Again.. why? Motivation was my key concern. God Bless you and your beautiful family!

We've been here on the beach today in Destin. My daughter was in the water with my wife and told her, "Mom, I'm having a hard time. The sand keeps moving under my feet." My wife reminded her that's why Jesus explained that the foolish man built his house on the sand. "Ahhh. I see," she said. I hope she's beginning to, and she was quickly on to another topic. Earlier, I'd been walking along alone and thinking about all the vast numbers of people shaken and moved and shifted by the slightest blip in something that happened in NYC on Wall Street today (I'm still not certain what happened, but I know a lot of money was lost and then, perhaps, recouped in a matter of minutes). I thought, "All those people could line this beach and be no less stable than they are now." I say that to say this ---- the waves crash on everybody, the winds beat on the accomplishments of the wise and the foolish. The same God is behind it all. My daughter felt the truth of Jesus on her physical feet, actually happening. Investors around the world felt it in a less tangible way. What I pray is that I am and will be wise and wiser. That I will be one who builds and one who does it in cooperation with my Father's own desires. Because any day now, any time, anywhere, the storms may arrive with winds unbearable by all and the only Shelter will be the one in His arms. I want to love Him and obey Him. That's all I can say.

Great Stuff all great stuff spoken in the reply...

dolfan wrote:I would say, and this won't surprise you, that the faith that is of God is a working, active, functioning, doing faith. To him who knows to do good and doesn't, it is sin. The converse of that truth is also true -- to him who knows to do good and does it is obedient.

And the only further clarification I want to make is only doing what you see your Father doing. That is obedience!!

When Jesus left us, ascended, and sent the Holy Spirit, He did not leave us a detailed map for church growth or evangelism. Jesus simply said, "as my Father sent me so send I you" And what did Jesus do? He said "I can do NOTHING of myself, but only what I see my Father doing." He was led as He walked by the Spirit, as God presented him the opportunities to minister. "Love one another as i have loved you." was his command as he lambasted pharisees and religious structure.

I've witnessed the endless works of religious men as it devours them and others around them and watch crash what they had built APART from the direction of the Holy Spirit. I've been personally warned/spoken to in dreams and it still continues today.

All this said.. understand that relationship. Know whom your Father is and what he expects from you so you, your family will fully understand they are pleasing to God by Faith and can't be fooled into obeying religious rules and life spend on wasted works.

In general... let Jesus build HIS church and just believe. He will use us if we will simply build only by doing what you actively see your Father doing. And If you are not hearing Him.. it's because you are listening to another voice that is drowning him out or trying to offer Him something He is not requiring.

Thanks for letting me elaborate.
God Bless!!

MacUser wrote:

dolfan wrote:We really do want to return to the days of our lives when our all-consuming desire was to please God.

Question: How do you please God?

Listen and obey. Christ pleased the Father, and everything He did can be simplified down to just doing the will of the Father.

Pastor Bill wrote:

MacUser wrote:

dolfan wrote:We really do want to return to the days of our lives when our all-consuming desire was to please God.

Question: How do you please God?

Listen and obey. Christ pleased the Father, and everything He did can be simplified down to just doing the will of the Father.

Absolutely PB... think on this: Even if that means possibly doing nothing during a season.. right? Can you receive that?

Before Jesus even started his ministry from 12 (when he probably knew whom he was) till 30 he wasn't recorded as actively ministering. Probably in the carpenter shop. He waited till his Father said go.

Example: Before Jesus had ever done anything as it related to "his ministry" he met John the Baptist and received the word from heaven.. " THIS is my SON in whom I am WELL PLEASED". Jesus was well pleasing to the Father and had done basically nothing to date. So being obedient meant from Jesus to do absolutely nothing till God told him it was time.

Are we waiting on our Father in heaven to speak to us? Or are we letting another voice lead us? The enemy will tell you tons of "stuff to do". Remember Jesus in the wilderness? IF YOU ARE THE SON of GOD.. the do this.... etc etc. Jesus didn't fall for it. Not one bit.

Clear as mud? It's absolutely beautiful stuff.