LIVING FOR AN AUDIENCE OF ONE
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:21-22 (NIV)
How do you honor, or better yet stay faithful, to a boss who isn't the best, a spouse who isn't pulling their weight, a friend who hasn't been there, or a bad neighbor? What I've learned is that God doesn't want to give you a new spouse, and He usually doesn't want to give you a new job or new friend. Sure, sometimes He does, but more often, He wants to give you a greater sense of purpose inside the marriage, job or friendship! How do you do that? Your aim has to shift from having a great job, a great marriage, or a great neighbor to serving the Lord. It's good and noble to want and strive for those things, but our chief pursuit must be honoring God. This has shifted how I live my life and, honestly, the amount of joy I have. When I commit each day to serve God and honor Him, I'm never disappointed; however, when I look to get things from other people, often I'm disappointed. Most people will say well, they need to change, but often, what God is changing is us. He's making us more like Him. He's making us more loving, kind—more selfless. Only those fully committed to Jesus can live like this, and here's the irony: those people are honestly the happiest around. Why? Because they are free to love and don't have so many agendas, demands, and expectations of others.
If everyone's looking for others to meet their needs, then no one has the capacity to rise up and truly love and serve; their love is conditional. This is easy, but it's very hard to live out. That's why Paul doesn't say in the verse about submitting if you have a great husband. He's showing us the Christian's life is one of surrender and sacrifice, but it's one where we ironically find joy in doing so. The selfish people I know are some of the most miserable people. However, those committed to serving everyone to honor Christ are some of the most joyful. The way of the Kingdom is to live upside down. We go from death to life. While those trying to find life in this world never do. Live for an audience of One.
APPLICATION: Live for an audience of One.
PRAYER: Ask God how you can serve and love those around you. Ask the Spirit to show you how He has loved and served you first. Ask Him if there is anyone that you are struggling with. Forgive them and ask for the power to love and serve them well!
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?