Making it Our Aim to Please Christ

[Christsfreeservant]

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.​

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“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-10 ESV)​

As people who live on this earth, who God created, we live in flesh bodies which are vulnerable to sickness, injury, disasters of all kinds, suffering, and temptations to sin. So, while we live in these bodies of flesh, we groan, whether or not we are believers in Jesus Christ, for all humans are subject to suffering and are tempted to sin. But those of us who have God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we groan, longing to put on our heavenly bodies which we who obey God will have when Jesus returns for his bride, for eternity.

And why do I say, “we who obey God”? It is because the faith that comes from God, and is gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man – is God-persuaded faith. For we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ. And God, who is rich in mercy, sent Jesus Christ to die on that cross and to put our sins to death with him so that we will now die daily to sin and walk in obedience to his commands. But if we obey sin, it leads to death.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we give up our lives of sin to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have eternal life with God, but provided that we continue in those walks of dying daily to sin and of following Jesus in obedience to his ways, steadfast until the end.

[Heb 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Jn 1:12-13; Jn 6:44; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; Eph 4:17-32]

For, by faith in Jesus Christ it should be our aim to please him in all that we are and do and say. And this is not to say that we will be absolutely perfect in every way in everything that we do or say, but that we should be denying self daily, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to our Lord daily, i.e. in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives till Jesus returns.

And we should want to please our Lord in every part of our being and days and time because we love him, and because he is now our Lord (Owner-Master) and we belong to him, and he now lives within us via his Holy Spirit, if our faith in him is genuine. But also we should want to obey him and do what he says to do, for all of us are going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. And this includes Christians.

[Rom 2:6-8; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Lead Me Gently Home, Father

By Will L. Thompson, 1879

Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
When life’s toils are ended,
And parting days have come,
Sin no more shall tempt me,
Ne’er from Thee I’ll roam,
If Thou’ll only lead me, Father,
Lead me gently home.

Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
In life’s darkest hours, Father,
When life’s troubles come,
Keep my feet from wand’ring,
Lest from Thee I roam,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home.

Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home.

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