New Lifestyle

When a couple marries and begin their new life together, one question in each partner’s mind is how can I please my new mate? I want them to be happy and want to be the reason for this happiness. Thoughts range the gambit, from how I speak to how I spend my free time to how I help them with any daily chores necessary to what they may like prepare for meals. This time becomes a shift in lifestyle. As you look around at your friends’ marriage, yours seems different. It is; it is as unique as the two of you are. Generally, as you walk this pathway the best advice is to ask your mate what they would like. When a person becomes a Christian, this is also a change in lifestyle; many things change. One issue that soon arises is: Now that I am a Christian and a servant of Jesus, “How does He want me to act in order to please Him, when I am in groups or alone? What does He want me to do personally, individually? The best response to questions about what God wants is, “Talk to God and listen. Read the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to communicate this to you.” Even with the Holy Spirit guiding you toward this goal, you may find the stories about how He guided other people were in another setting, a foreign culture, and those people had a different goal than you understand for your life. Perhaps you arrive at a point at which you conclude, “there is no specific guidance about what I, personally, individually, should do. Yet, I don’t want to make any more mistakes!” This, can be a frightening conclusion. In a nutshell, you have come to realize that God does not make decisions for you, you are responsible for what you choose to do. One help might be the instruction about fellowship Paul gave the Philippians, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” - Phil 2:12 (ESV). You are on a unique individual spiritual journey and you will make more mistakes. In these, you can learn a greater appreciation for Grace in your marriage (on both sides) and from God. The Holy Spirit has left many examples of how those who began activities were helped and directed, but only after they began on a pathway. As you read the Bible, the indwelling Holy Spirit may cause you to remember certain passages at the various times you pray, study, or contemplate what you have read. But you may think, “Jesus told His disciples what to do, why doesn’t He tell me?” A better understanding of this might be the disciples watched the things Jesus did and imitated them, as they best understood. Jesus was teaching them to understand situations and respond: do what He did. Sometimes the disciples needed great power, but many times, they needed to open themselves to the people they met (Mk. 6:8). Most times they were successful, but sometimes, they could not duplicate what He did. Mark 9 tells of such time with a man’s son who had a demon, this kind needed more than they yet knew. There was also the time Jesus sent His disciples on their own to preach and help people without telling them exactly what to do and they made the best choices they knew to follow what Jesus had taught them to do; He rejoiced for their success when they returned (Lk. 10:16-18). At other times, He would tell them to not bring food to eat or things to wear, (Lk. 10:3). Jesus’ final instructions to His followers have been understood with various nuances – (Matt. 28:16-20). Some understand this passage to be a direct command to do something, “Go,” while others understand the passage to describe, “what to do,” “as His followers went.” Whichever understanding you think best, the fundamental message remains the same, disciples of Jesus need to be caring for the physical and spiritual needs of others as they live their lives. You may think, “this didn’t help me at all.” The point is, you need to begin to try and do something, even if there is a possibility of making a mistake. The real focus is not your performance, it is to provide glory to Jesus and Holy Spirit can use things we consider failures as powerful tools to help others. You may find that as you pursue activities which are interesting to you and beneficial to God, those activities may become something you understand as a task the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. This is not something you are instructed to do, but as you pursued your godly interests, an opportunity became apparent and you acted on it. This is similar to those first Christians spreading the news of Jesus as you went, “Matt. 28:16-20; Acts 8:4. The same power that motivate the disciples, lives within you. Allow Him to lead you, but realize He may not want something you consider grand or significant. Whatever the action is, it is for God’s honor, not yours.