God is Pleased with our Discipleship

Dear Faith Family,

Today’s Gospel helps me realize that I am not alone in this mission of discipleship.


I think it is safe to say that we are all trying to live good lives and a good amount of us pursue holiness. While it may be more simple for me to find a list of what is right or wrong and act accordingly, I need to remember that worship is vital for a life with Christ.


In my past I always struggled with the idea of what worship is. Is it simply prayer? As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that worship is unselfish praise. The willingness to compliment our God, just because He is. The attempt to please the God we love. There are not many requirements or formalities to make worship authentic, but I would say the willingness to love God unconditionally is important.


How many times in our lives have we praised God without asking anything in return? There is nothing wrong with asking God for things, but how often do we talk to Him just to “compliment” Him?


In this Sunday’s Gospel, God appears, descending like a dove, to affirm Jesus: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” How powerful of a statement is that? It lets us know that God isn’t simply the one who holds all things together, but He loves us and is pleased with us when we do His will.


On the other hand, how many times have we heard God praise our commitment to Him? Are we willing to listen enough to hear how is He is pleased with us? God is always willing to give us the affirmation needed to continue this life.


While we don’t worship for our own affirmation, I guarantee that if we worship more often, we will know what God desires for us to do to strengthen His kingdom. Not only that, but we will also have more clarity on how God rejoices in our discipleship.


How does this Gospel passage help me in my journey? It helps me to know that this life that I’ve committed myself to, is not done simply because of a set of rules or an admiration for a certain culture or religion.

Rather, when I do what he asks, it pleases Him. What more do we
want to do, than please the ones that we love?


God Bless,


Brett Becker
​
Youth and Young Adult Minister 

---