Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s Body.

It is your job to protect the unity of your church. Unity in the church is so important that the New Testament gives more attention to it than to either heaven or hell.
God deeply desires that we experience oneness and harmony with each other.

Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s Body.
It is the essence, the core, of how God intends for us to experience life together in his church.


Our supreme model for unity is the Trinity.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are completely unified as one.
God himself is the highest example of sacrificial love, humble other-centeredness, and perfect harmony.

Just like every parent, our heavenly Father enjoys watching his children get along with each other.
In his final moments before being arrested, Jesus prayed passionately for our unity.1
It was our unity that was uppermost in his mind during those agonizing hours.
That shows how significant this subject is. Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and he wants it protected, especially from the devastating damage that is caused by division, conflict, and disharmony.

If you are a part of God’s family, it is your responsibility to protect the unity where you fellowship. You are commissioned by Jesus Christ to do everything possible to preserve the unity, protect the fellowship, and promote harmony in your church family and among all believers.
The Bible says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” 2
How are we to do this? The Bible gives us practical advice.

Focus on what we have in common, not our differences.

Paul tells us, “Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character.” 3




As believers we share one Lord, one body, one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love.4

We share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future— factors far more important than any differences we could enumerate.
These are the issues, not our personal differences, that we should concentrate on.

We must remember that it was God who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them.
God wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we must never let differences divide us.
We must stay focused on what matters most—learning to love each other as Christ has loved us, and fulfilling God’s five purposes for each of us and his church.

Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues, things the Bible calls “disputable matters.” 5
When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods, division always happens. But if we concentrate on loving each other and fulfilling God’s purposes, harmony results. Paul pleaded for this: “Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 6

Be realistic in your expectations. Once you discover what God intends real fellowship to be, it is easy to become discouraged by the gap between the ideal and the real in your church.

Yet we must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections.



Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of immaturity.
On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension.

Other believers will disappoint you and let you down, but that’s no excuse to stop fellowshiping with them.
They are your family, even when they don’t act like it, and you can’t just walk out on them.
Instead God tells us, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” 7
People become disillusioned with the church for many understandable reasons.
The list could be quite long: conflict, hurt, hypocrisy, neglect, pettiness, legalism, and other sins. Rather than being shocked and surprised, we must remember that the church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves.

Because we’re sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally.
But instead of leaving the church, we need to stay and work it out if at all possible.
Reconciliation, not running away, is the road to stronger character and deeper fellowship.
Divorcing your church at the first sign of disappointment or disillusionment is a mark of immaturity. God has things he wants to teach you, and others, too. Besides, there is no perfect church to escape to. Every church has its own set of weaknesses and problems. You’ll soon be disappointed again.

Groucho Marx was famous for saying he wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would let him in. If a church must be perfect to satisfy you, that same perfection will exclude you from membership, because you’re not perfect!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was martyred for resisting Nazis, wrote a classic book on fellowship, Life Together.
In it he suggests that disillusionment with our local church is a good thing because it destroys our false expectations of perfection.
The sooner we give up the illusion that a church must be perfect in order to love it, the sooner we quit pretending and start admitting we’re all imperfect and need grace.
This is the beginning of real community.

Every church could put out a sign “No perfect people need apply.
This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow.”
Bonhoeffer said, “He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter. . . . If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we keep complaining that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow.”8

Choose to encourage rather than criticize.
It is always easier to stand on the sidelines and take shots at those who are serving than it is to get involved and make a contribution.
God warns us over and over not to criticize, compare, or judge each other.9
When you criticize what another believer is doing in faith and from sincere conviction, you are interfering with God’s business: “What right do you have to criticize someone else’s servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right.” 10

Paul adds that we must not stand in judgment or look down on other believers whose convictions differ from our own: “Why, then, criticise your brother’s actions, why try to make him look small? We shall all be judged one day, not by each other’s standards or even our own, but by the standard of Christ.” 11
Whenever I judge another believer, four things instantly happen: I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride and insecurity, I set myself up to be judged by God, and I harm the fellowship of the church. A critical spirit is a costly vice. The Bible calls Satan “the accuser of our brothers.” 12

It’s the Devil’s job to blame, complain, and criticize members of God’s family. Anytime we do the same, we’re being duped into doing Satan’s work for him. Remember, other Christians, no matter how much you disagree with them, are not the real enemy. Any time we spend comparing or criticizing other believers is time that should have been spent building the unity of our fellowship. The Bible says, “Let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault.” 13

Refuse to listen to gossip. Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. You know spreading gossip is wrong, but you should not listen to it, either, if you want to protect your church. Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, and it makes you just as guilty of the crime. When someone begins to gossip to you, have the courage to say, “Please stop. I don’t need to know this. Have you talked directly to that person?” People who gossip to you will also gossip about you. They cannot be trusted. If you listen to gossip, God says you are a troublemaker.14 “Troublemakers listen to troublemakers.” 15 “These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves.” 16 It is sad that in God’s flock, the greatest wounds usually come from other sheep, not wolves. Paul warned about “cannibal Christians” who “devour one another” and destroy the fellowship.17 The Bible says these kind of troublemakers should be avoided. “A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a babbler.” 18 The fastest way to end a church or small group conflict is to lovingly confront those who are gossiping and insist they stop it. Solomon pointed out, “Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and tensions disappear when gossip stops.” 19

Practice God’s method for conflict resolution.
Jesus gave the church a simple three-step process: “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again.
If he still won’t listen, tell the church.” 20

During conflict, it is tempting to complain to a third party rather than courageously speak the truth in love to the person you’re upset with. This makes the matter worse. Instead, you should go directly to the person involved. Private confrontation is always the first step, and you should take it as soon as possible. If you’re unable to work things out between the two of you, the next step is to take one or two witnesses to help confirm the problem and reconcile the relationship. What should you do if the person is still stuck in stubbornness? Jesus says to take it to the church.
If the person still refuses to listen after that, you should treat that person like an unbeliever.21

Support your pastor and leaders. There are no perfect leaders, but God gives leaders the responsibility and the authority to maintain the unity of the church. During interpersonal conflicts that is a thankless job. Pastors often have the unpleasant task of serving as mediator between hurt, conflicting, or immature members. They’re also given the impossible task of trying to make everyone happy, which even Jesus could not do! The Bible is clear about how we are to relate to those who serve us: “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?” 22 Pastors will one day stand before God and give an account of how well they watched over you. “They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.” 23 But you are accountable, too. You will give an account to God of how well you followed your leaders.

The Bible gives pastors very specific instructions on how to deal with divisive people in the fellowship. They are to avoid arguing, gently teach the opposition while praying they’ll change, warn those who are argumentative, plead for harmony and unity, rebuke those who are disrespectful of leadership, and remove divisive people from the church if they ignore two warnings.24
We protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading.
Pastors and elders need our prayers, encouragement, appreciation, and love.
We are commanded, “Honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience.
Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!” 25

Christ challenges you to accept your responsibility to protect and promote the unity of your church.
Put your full effort into it, and God will be pleased. It will not always be easy.
Sometimes you will have to do what’s best for the Body, not yourself, showing preference to others. That’s one reason God puts us in a church family—to learn unselfishness.

In community we learn to say “we” instead of “I,” and “our” instead of “mine.” 

God says, “Don’t think only of your own good. 

Think of other Christians and what is best for them.” 26

Thinking about My Purpose 

Point to Ponder: It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church. 

Verse to Remember: “Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony and the growth of our fellowship together.” Romans 14:19 (Ph) 

Question to Consider: What am I personally doing to protect unity in my church family right now?

Self Help Reference Share: The Purpose Driven Life 

What on Earth am I Here For? 

God redeemed you so you could do his “holy work.”

You were saved to serve God.

The Bible says, “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was his plan.”

In God’s kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill.
This gives your life great significance and value.

Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. In light of these incredible benefits Paul concluded, “Because of God’s great mercy . . . Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service.” 6 The apostle John taught that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. He said, “Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life.” 7 If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life.

 A “non-serving Christian” is a contradiction in terms. The Bible says, “He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose.” 10 Peter adds, “You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you.” 11 Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling.

The Bible says, “Now you belong to him . . . in order that we might be useful in the service of God.” 12
How much of the time are you being useful in the service of God?

Impression without expression causes depression.

Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation.

The old comparison between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is still true.



Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out.
In contrast, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because, with no outflow, the lake has stagnated.

Service is the pathway to real significance.
It is through ministry that we discover the meaning of our lives.
The Bible says, “Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body.” 18
As we serve together in God’s family, our lives take on eternal importance.
Paul said, “I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less . . . because of what you are a part of.” 19

God wants to use you to make a difference in his world.

He wants to work through you.

The Bible says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)


Question to Consider: What is holding me back from accepting God’s call to serve him?

Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid.

That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service.
He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.

Attitudes count more than achievements.

Real servants serve God with  mindsets principled in integral attitudes under God.


Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes.
They let God use them for his purposes.


Fact: No Elect can ever be a true servant of the people under God when they are  full of themselves.
It’s only when one forgets oneself can they do the things that deserve to be remembered.

In the Bible, a steward was a servant entrusted to manage an estate.

Servanthood and stewardship go together,6 since God expects us to be trustworthy in both.
The Bible says, “The one thing required of such servants is that they be faithful to their master.” 7

If you’re a servant of God, you can’t moonlight for yourself. All your time belongs to God. He insists on exclusive allegiance, not part-time faithfulness.

Many seated through inept inaction's would imply, “After I achieve my financial goals, I’m going to serve God.” That is a foolish decision they will regret for eternity.
When Jesus is your Master, money serves you, but if money is your master, you become its slave. Wealth is certainly not a sin, but failing to use it for God’s glory is.

Servants of God are always more concerned about ministry than money.

The Bible is very clear: God uses money to test faithfulness as a servant.
That is why Jesus talked more about money than he did about either heaven or hell.
He said, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” 9

There’s no place for petty jealousy between servants. When you’re busy serving, you don’t have time to be critical. Any time spent criticizing others is time that could be spent ministering.
Because they remember they are loved and accepted by grace, servants don’t have to prove their worth. They willingly accept jobs that insecure people would consider “beneath” them.

Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval.

If anyone had the chance of a lifetime to flaunt his connections and “name-drop,” it was James, the half-brother of Jesus. He had the credentials of growing up with Jesus as his brother. Yet, in introducing his letter, he simply referred to himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 16 The closer you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself.

Imagine what could happen if just 10 percent of Congress

got serious under God about their role as real servants.

Then imagine all the good that could be expeditiously done.

Don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing.

Transformed by Trouble

 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)

It is the fire of suffering that brings forth the gold of godliness.
Madame Guyon

God has a purpose behind every problem.

He uses circumstances to develop our character.


In fact, he depends more on circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible.
The reason is obvious: You face circumstances twenty-four hours a day.
Jesus warned us that we would have problems in the world. 1 No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free.

Life is a series of problems. Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take its place.

Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God’s growth process for you.
Peter assures us that problems are normal, saying, “Don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you.” 2

God uses problems to draw you closer to himself.

The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.”

Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days—when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great—and you turn to God alone.
It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers.
When we’re in pain, we don’t have the energy for superficial prayers.

Joni Eareckson Tada notes, “When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, with imitating him and quoting him and speaking of him. But only in suffering will we know Jesus.”
We learn things about God in suffering that we can’t learn any other way. God could have kept Joseph out of jail,4 kept Daniel out of the lion’s den,5 kept Jeremiah from being tossed into a slimy pit,6 kept Paul from being shipwrecked three times,7 and kept the three Hebrew young men from being thrown into the blazing furnace8—but he didn’t. He let those problems happen, and every one of those persons was drawn closer to God as a result.

Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves.
Paul testified to this benefit: “We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us.” 9 You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got. Regardless of the cause, none of your problems could happen without God’s permission. Everything that happens to a child of God is Father-filtered, and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad.

Because God is sovereignly in control, accidents are just incidents in God’s good plan for you.

Because every day of your life was written on God’s calendar before you were born,10 everything that happens to you has spiritual significance. Everything!

Romans 8:28–29 explains why: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.” 11

Understanding Romans 8:28–29
This is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages in the Bible.



It doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out the way I want it to.” Obviously that’s not true. It also doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out to have a happy ending on earth.” That is not true either. There are many unhappy endings on earth.

We live in a fallen world.  Only in heaven is everything done perfectly the way God intends.
That is why we are told to pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”12
To fully understand Romans 8:28–29 you must consider it phrase by phrase. “We know”: Our hope in difficult times is not based on positive thinking, wishful thinking, or natural optimism.
It is a certainty based on the truths that God is in complete control of our universe and that he loves us. “that God causes”: There’s a Grand Designer behind everything.

Your life is not a result of random chance, fate, or luck. There is a master plan. History is His story. God is pulling the strings. We make mistakes, but God never does. God cannot make a mistake—because he is God. “everything”: God’s plan for your life involves all that happens to you—including your mistakes, your sins, and your hurts. It includes illness, debt, disasters, divorce, and death of loved ones. God can bring good out of the worst evil. He did at Calvary. “to work together”: Not separately or independently. The events in your life work together in God’s plan. They are not isolated acts, but interdependent parts of the process to make you like Christ.

 To bake a cake you must use flour, salt, raw eggs, sugar, and oil. Eaten individually, each is pretty distasteful or even bitter. But bake them together and they become delicious.
If you will give God all your distasteful, unpleasant experiences, he will blend them together for good. “for the good”: This does not say that everything in life is good.
Much of what happens in our world is evil and bad, but God specializes in bringing good out of it.
In the official family tree of Jesus Christ,13 four women are listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar seduced her father-in-law to get pregnant. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was not even Jewish and broke the law by marrying a Jewish man. Bathsheba committed adultery with David, which resulted in her husband’s murder.

These were not exactly sterling reputations, but God brought good out of bad, and Jesus came through their lineage. God’s purpose is greater than our problems, our pain, and even our sin. “of those who love God and are called”: This promise is only for God’s children. It is not for everyone. All things work for bad for those living in opposition to God and insist on having their own way. “according to his purpose”: What is that purpose? It is that we “become like his Son.”
Everything God allows to happen in your life is permitted for that purpose!

Building Christlike Character
We are like jewels, shaped with the hammer and chisel of adversity.

If a jeweler’s hammer isn’t strong enough to chip off our rough edges, God will use a sledgehammer. If we’re really stubborn, he uses a jackhammer. He will use whatever it takes.

Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber. Paul said, “We know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character.” 14 What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but your character will last forever.

The Bible often compares trials to a metal refiner’s fire that burns away the impurities. Peter said, “These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold.” 15 A silversmith was asked, “How do you know when the silver is pure?” He replied, “When I see my reflection in it.” When you’ve been refined by trials, people can see Jesus’ reflection in you. James said, “Under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” 16 Since God intends to make you like Jesus, he will take you through the same experiences Jesus went through. That includes loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection, and many other problems.

The Bible says Jesus “learned obedience through suffering” and “was made perfect through suffering.” 17 Why would God exempt us from what he allowed his own Son to experience? Paul said, “We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” 18

Responding to Problems as Jesus Would.

 Problems don’t automatically produce what God intends.

Many people become bitter, rather than better, and never grow up.


You have to respond the way Jesus would. Remember that God’s plan is good. God knows what is best for you and has your best interests at heart.

God told Jeremiah, “The plans I have for you [are] plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 19 Joseph understood this truth when he told his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” 20 Hezekiah echoed the same sentiment about his life-threatening illness: “It was for my own good that I had such hard times.” 21 Whenever God says no to your request for relief, remember, “God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best.” 22

It is vital that you stay focused on God’s plan, not your pain or problem. That is how Jesus endured the pain of the cross, and we are urged to follow his example: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards.” 23 Corrie ten Boom, who suffered in a Nazi death camp, explained the power of focus: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest!” Your focus will determine your feelings.

The secret of endurance is to remember that your pain is temporary but your reward will be eternal. Moses endured a life of problems “because he was looking ahead to his reward.” 24 Paul endured hardship the same way. He said, “Our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!” 25 Don’t give in to short-term thinking. Stay focused on the end result: “If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.” 26 Rejoice and give thanks. The Bible tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 27 How is this possible? Notice that God tells us to give thanks “in all circumstances” not “for all circumstances.”

God doesn’t expect you to be thankful for evil, for sin, for suffering, or for their painful consequences in the world. Instead, God wants you to thank him that he will use your problems to fulfill his purposes. The Bible says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” 28 It doesn’t say, “Rejoice over your pain.” That’s masochism. You rejoice “in the Lord.” No matter what’s happening, you can rejoice in God’s love, care, wisdom, power, and faithfulness. Jesus said, “Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven.” 29 We can also rejoice in knowing that God is going through the pain with us. We do not serve a distant and detached God who spouts encouraging clichés safely from the sideline. Instead, he enters into our suffering. Jesus did it in the Incarnation, and his Spirit does it in us now. God will never leave us on our own.

Refuse to give up.
Be patient and persistent. The Bible says, “Let the process go on until your endurance is fully developed, and you will find that you have become men of mature character . . . with no weak spots.”


Character building is a slow process.
Whenever we try to avoid or escape the difficulties in life, we short-circuit the process, delay our growth, and actually end up with a worse kind of pain—the worthless type that accompanies denial and avoidance. When you grasp the eternal consequences of your character development, you’ll pray fewer “Comfort me” prayers (“Help me feel good”) and more “Conform me” prayers (“Use this to make me more like you”). You know you are maturing when you begin to see the hand of God in the random, baffling, and seemingly pointless circumstances of life. If you are facing trouble right now, don’t ask, “Why me?” Instead ask, “What do you want me to learn?” Then trust God and keep on doing what’s right. “You need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion.” 31
Don’t give up—grow up!

Self Help Share: The Purpose Driven Life - What on Earth am I here for?  Rick Warren.

What will make God smile again ? The beginnings of all ends by a birthright toward shedding itself from it's unsound politics.

Since pleasing God while oath'd under God is the first purpose within any choice to pursue a political  life, their  most important task first off is to discover how to do that.
The Bible says, “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” 1 Fortunately, the Bible gives us a clear example of a life that gives pleasure to God. The man’s name was Noah.

In Noah’s day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt.

Everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God’s.

God couldn’t find anyone on earth interested in pleasing him, so he was grieved and regretted making man.


God became so disgusted with the human race that he considered wiping it out.

But there was one man who made God smile. The Bible says, “Noah was a pleasure to the Lord.” 2 God said, “This guy brings me pleasure. He makes me smile. I’ll start over with his family.” Because Noah brought pleasure to God, you and I are alive today.

 From his life we learn the five acts of worship that make God smile.

God smiles when we love him supremely. 

Noah loved God more than anything else in the world, even when no one else did! 

The Bible tells us that for his entire life, “Noah consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him.” 3 This is what God wants most from you: a relationship! It’s the most astounding truth in the universe—that our Creator wants to fellowship with us. 

God made you to love you, and he longs for you to love him back. He says, “I don’t want your sacrifices—I want your love; I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me.” 4 

Can you sense God’s passion for you in this verse? God deeply loves you and desires your love in return. He longs for you to know him and spend time with him. This is why learning to love God and be loved by him should be the greatest objective of your life. Nothing else comes close in importance. Jesus called it the greatest commandment. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” 5 

God smiles when we trust him completely. The second reason Noah pleased God was that he trusted God, even when it didn’t make sense. The Bible says, “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. . . . As a result, Noah became intimate with God.” 6 

Imagine this scene: One day God comes to Noah and says, “I’m disappointed in human beings. 

In the entire world, no one but you thinks about me. But Noah, when I look at you, I start smiling. I’m pleased with your life, so I’m going to flood the world and start over with your family. I want you to build a giant ship that will save you and the animals.”

 There were three problems that could have caused Noah to doubt. First, Noah had never seen rain, because prior to the Flood, God irrigated the earth from the ground up.7 Second, Noah lived hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. Even if he could learn to build a ship, how would he get it to water? Third, there was the problem of rounding up all the animals and then caring for them. 

But Noah didn’t complain or make excuses. 

He trusted God completely, and that made God smile. 

Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for your life. 

You expect him to keep his promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary. The Bible says, “He takes pleasure in those that honor Him; in those who trust in His constant love.” 

It took Noah 120 years to build the ark. I imagine he faced many discouraging days. 

With no sign of rain year after year, he was ruthlessly criticized as a “crazy man who thinks God speaks to him.” I imagine Noah’s children were often embarrassed by the giant ship being built in their front yard. 

Yet Noah kept on trusting God. In what areas of your life do you need to trust God completely? 

Trusting is an act of worship. Just as parents are pleased when children trust their love and wisdom, your faith makes God happy. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” 9 

God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly. 

Saving the animal population from a worldwide flood required great attention to logistics and details. Everything had to be done just as God prescribed it. God didn’t say, “Build any old boat you’d like, Noah.” He gave very detailed instructions as to the size, shape, and materials of the ark as well as the different numbers of animals to be brought on board. 

The Bible tells us Noah’s response: “So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” 10

Notice that Noah obeyed completely (no instruction was overlooked), and he obeyed exactly (in the way and time God wanted it done). 

That is wholeheartedness. It is no wonder God smiled on Noah. If God asked you to build a giant boat, don’t you think you might have a few questions, objections, or reservations? 

Noah didn’t. He obeyed God wholeheartedly. That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. 

You don’t procrastinate and say, “I’ll pray about it.” You do it without delay. 

Every parent knows that delayed obedience is really disobedience. 

God doesn’t owe you an explanation or reason for everything he asks you to do. 

Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. 

Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. 

In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. 

Obedience unlocks understanding. Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular.

I’ll attend church but I won’t tithe. I’ll read my Bible but won’t forgive the person who hurt me. 

Yet partial obedience is disobedience. Wholehearted obedience is done joyfully, with enthusiasm. 

The Bible says, “Obey him gladly.” 11 This is the attitude of David: “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey.” 12 James, speaking to Christians, said, “We please God by what we do and not only by what we believe.” 13 God’s Word is clear that you can’t earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort. But as a child of God you can bring pleasure to your heavenly Father through obedience. Any act of obedience is also an act of worship. 

Why is obedience so pleasing to God? 

Because it proves you really love him. 

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” 14 

God smiles when we praise and thank him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. He smiles when we express our adoration and gratitude to him. Noah’s life brought pleasure to God because he lived with a heart of praise and thanksgiving. Noah’s first act after surviving the Flood was to express his thanks to God by offering a sacrifice. 

The Bible says, “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord . . . and sacrificed burnt offerings on it.” 15 

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we don’t offer animal sacrifices as Noah did. Instead we are told to offer God “the sacrifice of praise” 16 and “the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” 17 

We praise God for who he is, and we thank God for what he has done. 

David said, “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord.” 18 

An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. 

When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy! 

Worship works both ways, too. We enjoy what God has done for us, and when we express that enjoyment to God, it brings him joy—but it also increases our joy. 

The book of Psalms says, “The righteous are glad and rejoice in his presence; they are happy and shout for joy.” 19 God smiles when we use our abilities. After the Flood, God gave Noah these simple instructions: ‘‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. . . . Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” 20 

God said, “It’s time to get on with your life! Do the things I designed humans to do. 

Make love to your spouse. Have babies. Raise families. Plant crops and eat meals. Be humans! 

This is what I made you to be!” You may feel that the only time God is pleased with you is when you’re doing “spiritual” activities—like reading the Bible, attending church, praying, or sharing your faith. And you may think God is unconcerned about the other parts of your life. 

Actually, God enjoys watching every detail of your life, whether you are working, playing, resting, or eating. He doesn’t miss a single move you make. 

The Bible tells us, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. 

He delights in every detail of their lives.” 21 Every human activity, except sin, can be done for God’s pleasure if you do it with an attitude of praise. You can wash dishes, repair a machine, sell a product, write a computer program, grow a crop, and raise a family for the glory of God. 

Like a proud parent, God especially enjoys watching you use the talents and abilities he has given you. God intentionally gifted us differently for his enjoyment. He has made some to be athletic and some to be analytical. You may be gifted at mechanics or mathematics or music or a thousand other skills. All these abilities can bring a smile to God’s face. 

The Bible says, “He has shaped each person in turn; now he watches everything we do.” 22 

You don’t bring glory or pleasure to God by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. 

You only bring him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you are rejecting God’s wisdom and sovereignty in creating you.

God says, “You have no right to argue with your Creator. You are merely a clay pot shaped by a potter. The clay doesn’t ask, ‘Why did you make me this way?’” 23 In the film Chariots of Fire, Olympic runner Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” Later he says, “To give up running would be to hold him in contempt.” There are no unspiritual abilities, just misused ones.

Start using yours for God’s pleasure. God also gains pleasure in watching you enjoy his creation. 

He gave you eyes to enjoy beauty, ears to enjoy sounds, your nose and taste buds to enjoy smells and tastes, and the nerves under your skin to enjoy touch. Every act of enjoyment becomes an act of worship when you thank God for it. In fact, the Bible says, “God . . . generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.” 24 God even enjoys watching you sleep! 

When you are sleeping, God gazes at you with love, because you were his idea. He loves you as if you were the only person on earth. Parents do not require their children to be perfect, or even mature, in order to enjoy them. They enjoy them at every stage of development. 

In the same way, God doesn’t wait for you to reach maturity before he starts liking you. 

He loves and enjoys you at every stage of your spiritual development. 

You may have had unpleasable teachers or parents as you were growing up. 

Please don’t assume God feels that way about you. He knows you are incapable of being perfect or sinless. 

The Bible says, “He certainly knows what we are made of. He bears in mind that we are dust.” 25 What God looks at is the attitude of your heart: Is pleasing him your deepest desire? 

This was Paul’s life goal: “More than anything else, however, we want to please him, whether in our home here or there.” 26 

When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from “How much pleasure am I getting out of life?” to “How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?” 

God is looking for people like Noah in these elections — people willing to live for 

the pleasure of God. 

The Bible says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who are wise, who want to please God.” 27 

Remember that God rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Will you make pleasing God the goal of your life? 

There is nothing that God won’t do for the person 

totally absorbed with this goal.

These questions will help birth right about it's implications and how they could apply personally in the now.

Before you were born, God planned this moment in your life. It is no accident that you are reading this. God longs for you to discover the life he created you to live—here on earth, and forever in eternity.





It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ, . . . he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)

One reason most books don’t transform us is that we are so eager to read the next chapter, we don’t pause and take the time to seriously consider what we have just read.

We rush to the next truth without reflecting on what we have learned. Don’t just read this book. Interact with it. Underline it. Write your own thoughts in the margins. Make it your book. Personalize it! The books that have helped me most are the ones that I reacted to, not just read.

At the end of each chapter is a section that can be referred back to your bible as “Thinking about My Purpose.” There you will find: • A Point to Ponder.

This is where nuggets of truth once expanded in biblical knowledge will lead a purpose-driven living toward the best one can be throughout any day.

Paul told Timothy, “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” 2

A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree. Proverbs 11:28 (Msg)

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. . . . They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit. Jeremiah 17:7–8 (NLT)

A Daily Bread Thinking about Ones Purpose in Point to Ponder: 

It’s not about me. 

A Verse to Remember: “Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” 

Colossians 1:16b (Msg) 

Question to Consider: In spite of all the advertising around me, 

how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?