Ingredients of a Well-Lived Life
Imagine that you were given the task of creating the "perfect human being." What would you put in? The athletic skill of Michael Jordan? The looks of Cindy Crawford? The brains of Albert Einstein? The humor of David Letterman? These are all good things, but - really - the most important trait of a well-lived life is godliness.
There are a few godly people who receive worldly fame (e.g. Billy Graham, the Pope, Mother Teresa), but most are average folk who are serving the Lord faithfully in their local setting. What are the ingredients of godliness? I would include the following:
- Trust in God - This includes trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Romans 3:24-26) and trust for the direction of living. Hebrews 11:7 says, "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
- Meekness - This means being humble and submissive to God. In Luke 1:26-38, Mary was told of her role in bringing Jesus into the world. It would come to include pregnancy, a refugee flight into Egypt, and a host of other personal sacrifices. Mary's response was, "I am the Lord's servant! Let it be as you have said." (v.38)
- Compassion - Joseph had not witnessed the angelic proclamation to Mary and was probably suspicious of her pregnancy. Yet the Bible says he was a "just man" (Matthew 1:19) and would not let her be executed publicly for her condition (cf. John 8:1-11). This shows that he acted with compassion in spite of whatever his inner feelings were. He would later follow through on his commitment to her, get married, and see her through the journey (Matthew 1:20-25 and 2:13-23).
God Bless you.
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