Please The Lord

“So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

~Philippians 2:1-4

My youngest son calls me every day when he gets off work. He’s a rookie cop, has a lot of stress and I debrief him. It’s a kind of counseling session where he can get his frustration out without it having negative consequences. And of course, mama doesn’t mind those calls from her baby boy. He is a daily reminder that God’s call on my life is to help others, to share wisdom, good counsel, and show the love of Christ in whatever way I can.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).” 

We live in a selfish world, where those who scream the loudest get their own way. We live with the foolishness of the world, but we don’t have to be part of the foolishness. We cannot change the world. What we can change is how we handle the world. We don’t have to affect the entire world, just the world around us. No matter what is going on with others, we can still behave in a manner pleasing to the Lord. We can find what is good and pure and right in our own lives, without allowing the negativity of the world to affect us. We cannot change how the world acts, but we can determine how we act. We are responsible for ourselves, our actions, and our reactions to others. When we exercise self-control and act in love, we are pleasing to the Lord.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 4:22-24).”

Read Romans 13-16

©2018 Marie McGaha