February 20th

February 20th

Are you a pleasant fragrance to the Lord? Or maybe I should ask you, did you know that you can be a pleasant fragrance to the Lord?

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

1 Thessalonians 2:4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

So, HOW do we ensure that we are a pleasing fragrance to the Lord instead of a stinky irritating stench? How do we please God?

Hebrews 11:6 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.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 14:16-18 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and 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 giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

This last verse gives us some specifics about how we can 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 giving joyful thanks to the Father.

To bear fruit we have to be connected to the vine (Jesus: read John 15)

Growing in the knowledge of God (again dive into the Word and prayer time with Him)

Be strengthened with power to have great endurance and patience (a fruit of the Spirit)

And giving joyful thanks to the Father (a grateful heart pleases Him for sure)

So to please Him, we need to plug in to Him, deep, and we need to bear fruit (make disciples.)

This all falls on Him, what pleases Him is that we are willing to tap into what He has to offer us, we are willing to lean in to Him, to know Him. The fruit of that will naturally be making disciples.

Jesus, I want to please you. Help me to live for you, help me to lean in and learn from you. Help me to apply you to my life. Thank you for your patience. Help me to be grateful, -joyfully grateful. Help me to really stay connected to you, the vine, so that I can bear fruit for you. Thank you for your love, Lord, help me to love you in return.