When Ben Fuller sings, “Making my Father proud looks a whole lot different now” in his new song “Proud,” he is ripping pages out of my story and laying them bare. I spent a lot of energy trying to please earthly men. What I really want to know is how to please my Heavenly Father.
Join me as we dive into a few ways we can please God. The question is, are we up for the challenge?
In this week’s episode, I discuss the following:
- Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week’s Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
- Consult an overview
- Read in context (read the whole letter)
- Listen to an audio version of the text
- Follow the cross-references
- Make observations
- Make a list
- Complete a word study
- Consult an outside resource
- Meditate on Scripture
- Compare and contrast
- How my personal story is reflected in the lyrics of Ben Fuller’s song, “Proud”
- Walking in a way that is pleasing to God – 1 Thessalonians 4:1
- Discovering what cannot please God – Romans 8:8
- What walking in the flesh looks like – Romans 8:5-8
- Our hope that we can ever walk in the Spirit – Romans 8:9-11
- Consulting an overview of 1 Thessalonians to discover the theme of exhorting godly living
- Making observations of the text to meditate on or explore further
- Ask and urge – “1 & 2 Thessalonians Verse by Verse” by Grant Osborne – Amazon Paid Link
- Sanctification – GotQuestions.org Article
- God as “Avenger”
- The contrast between impurity and holiness
- The sex-saturated world in the time of the Thessalonians is not unlike our own – “Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians” by Mark Howell – Amazon Paid Link
- How abstaining from sexual immorality carries with it the idea of distance — don’t even get close to it
- The Greek word for “avenger” – BibleHub.com – God is a justice giver and cares deeply about this subject
- John Stott, “Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they do not reap holiness. Holiness is a harvest; whether we reap it or not depends almost entirely on what and where sow.”
- Paul’s illustration of slavery helps us understand – Romans 6:19
- Practical steps to move toward holiness
- Love one another – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
- Aspire to quiet living – 1 Thessalonians 4:11
- Mind your own affairs – 1 Thessalonians 4:11
- Work with your hands – 1 Thessalonians 4:11
- The bookends of “urge” and “do this more and more” – 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10
Becoming a slave to righteous living is what pleases God and puts us on the path to greater holiness.
Enjoy the official music video below.
More Than a Song Playlist
Additional Resources
- Lyrics – NewReleaseToday.com
- The story behind the song “Proud” by Ben Fuller – YouTubeVideo
Weekly Challenge
Read or listen to all of 1 Thessalonians. Study and interact with 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12. Make a note of things that jump out at you. Define words, compare and contrast, and follow cross-references. Meditate on the truths you uncover. And whatever you have to do, distance yourself from sexual immorality because we know that will make our Father proud.
