This morning we started a new series ‘According to…‘, looking at how to live according to God’s ways in order to know His blessings on our lives. ‘According to’ means to live in agreement with; when we are in accord with someone, there is harmony and unity. God wants there to be no division between our attitudes and our actions, between our beliefs and our behaviour. It’s therefore important for us to have understanding ‘according to Your word’ as Ps 119;169 says.
God places no premium on ignorance. In the Bible, we find out how to live to please Him (see Eph 5:8-10); His word teaches us what is right and wrong, what pleases God and what hurts Him. Ps 119:97-104 outlines that a right understanding of God’s ways comes as we meditate on the Scriptures and put into practice what we learn there. As Jesus made plain in Matthew 7:24-27, there has to be a seamless unity between believing and do; it’s not enough to hear His words, but we also have to put them into practice if we are to withstand the storms and difficulties of life.
What does this look like in everyday life?
• It looks like forgiveness when we are wronged.
• It looks like showing mercy when we want to snap and retaliate.
• It looks like giving someone something they need rather than holding on to it ourselves, being generous with our time, our possessions and our whole lives.
• It looks like listening to someone and being patient with them, even though they have perhaps told us this story countless times before.
• It looks like respecting someone even when you may not personally agree with them, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:3)
• It looks like sticking with someone through thick and thin because you know God’s love is never-ending, showing what loyalty and faithfulness look like in the everyday.
• It looks like believing in someone even when they have let you down, giving them a second chance, not giving up on them.
• It looks like being kind.
