All of us should have a desire to be a better Christian. Living a life that aligns with Scripture, and is pleasing in the eyes of God is the most important aspect of truly being a disciple of Christ. While we don’t have the benefit of physically walking with Christ like the earliest disciples had, we still have access to His Word, which is our source of information about Godly living. If you’re trying to understand how to be a better disciple, you can rely on these 4 truths from God’s Word about living life God’s way.
What kind of life does God want me to live? Have you ever asked yourself that question or something similar? If so, it’s important to understand that self-examination is one of the most important aspects of the Christian journey and is encouraged by Scripture (2 Corinthians 13:5). One of the most important aspects of living out your purpose is to constantly examine your life to make sure that you’re living in a way that lines up with the truths found in God’s Word.
Obviously, we would never have the time or the space necessary to do a thorough examination of anyone’s life to see how Godly it is. However, we can take a look at some foundational truths found in God’s Word that are required for true discipleship.
Take the verses that we’re about to discuss and lay them over your life like a transparency on a projector. If there are areas that don’t line up, ask the Holy Spirit to help you make the necessary changes. If there are places that need some work, ask God for forgiveness, and the strength necessary to make the changes.
Spending Time in Prayer
John 14:13-14 (ESV)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
One of hte most important aspects of living a Godly life is found in having a committed prayer life. The key to any relationship is communication, and your walk with Christ is certainly no different. God wants to communicate with you in the same way that your friends and family members want to. He is interested in every detail of your life. While we know that God is omniscient, omnipresent, and all-encompassing, and therefore sees and knows everything about us, it’s important to understand that He still wants to hear from us.
If you feel like it’s hard to have a conversation with a God that you can’t see, don’t feel bad. The process of having a daily, committed prayer life can be difficult. Afterall, we prefer to talk to people who we can see and immediately hear back from. Having a solid prayer life takes a certain amount of faith. We have to believe that God is actively listening to what’s going on in our lives. However, if we’re going to experience a true walk with Christ, we must be spending time everyday in communication with Him.
Spending Time in Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
We’ve already established that communication is one of the most important aspects of your relationship with Christ. If prayer is our means of speaking to Him, His Word is His way of speaking back to us. Perhaps you’ve heard of people saying that they “heard God” speak to them audibly. It’s important to understand that He can certainly still do that. After all, He is God. If He chooses to speak audibly to one of His people, He can most certainly do that. However, it’s much more common that God speaks to His people through His Word. He gave us a preserved, written copy of Scripture so that we would be able to understand His plans for our lives.
When you’re on your quest to live a Godlier life, make sure that you’re spending time in God’s Word every day. Whether it’s listening to an audio version of your Bible during your morning commute, or you spend time every evening reading Scripture, make sure that you’re getting God’s Word into your heart and mind every day.
Establishing Relationships with Other Believers
Genesis 2:18 (ESV)
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Up until this point in creation, God had said that everything He had made was good. However, when He saw Adam living alone in the Garden of Eden, He said that it wasn’t good that man was alone. That’s why He immediately went to work creating Eve. God understood (and continues to understand) that His people are better when they are connected to other believers.
The principle of connectivity isn’t anything new. When you are born into the natural world, you are born with a cord attaching you to your mother. That umbilical cord spends months of the gestation period giving you the nutrients and other substances that you need. We are designed to be connected to other people.
If you want to live a Godly life, make sure that you have healthy relationships with other believers. Being connected to others not only provides you with the encouragement that we all need from time to time, but it also helps with the final principle that we’re going to discuss today.
Embracing Accountability with Others
James 5:16 (ESV)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Finally, one of the most important Biblical principles that promotes Godly living is found in cultivating accountability with other people. This fourth and final phase of Godly living ties directly into the third one that we discussed. Obviously, before you and another believer can hold one another accountable, you have to be truly connected. However, once that connection has been established, accountability is one of the most powerful byproducts that you can ever experience.
In Luke 10:1, the Bible tells us about something that we often glance over. Before Christ settled into His normal routine with the 12 disciples that we read so much about, He had 70 disciples. In that verse of Scripture, the Bible says that He sent them out in groups of two. Why would He do that? Obviously, He wanted the disciples to have someone who could provide encouragement when things got hard. He probably wanted to ensure that they had a witness with them who could verify their own story should they be accused of anything. However, it’s even more likely that He put them in pairs so they could help hold one another accountable.
In the same way that those 70 early disciples needed someone to keep them accountable, you need the same thing. Once you have established your connection with other believers, consider entering into an even deeper relationship with one or more of them, one in which you will hold one another accountable. When you have someone who is actively engaged in your daily life, it’s easier to keep yourself on the right path. In the same vein, you can help keep your friend accountable. When either of you sees the other making ungodly decisions, you can serve as a watchman who warns about impending danger. Having someone to confess your faults to opens the door for them to pray with you and for you, restoring you to Godly living.
A Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord, You know that I truly want my life to line up with Your Word and Your will. However, I see that there are areas that I need to work on to make that a reality. Help me to identify the parts of these four areas that I need to work on, and then give me the courage and the ability to make the changes necessary. In Christ’s name, I ask these things, Amen.