The Path of Godly Living - Part 1

The Path of Divine Living: Steps to Fulfillment in God

Bible Passage: Psalm 37:4–5, James 4:7–8, Galatians 2:20

We learned about bearing the image of God, or the name of God in us. We take God with us, and we have to be mindful of that. We are not “somebody,” to think we can live however we want to, after we are saved, but that we are Christ’s body.

And this Christ’s body, which is us and the “Church” has a great responsibility to live up to the standards and commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The beautiful Gospel of John 14:15 says, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” What if one doesn’t “keep” of “do” the commandments of Christ? Then there is no love for Christ! However, for a Christian, life should be radically different – their lives should “follow” Christ.

If the desire of our lives are not in alignment of what Apostle Paul said in Phil. 1:21, that for me to live is Christ, but to die is gain, then we have some problems that we need to resolve with God!

Our ultimate goal ought to be Christ living in and through us within the lifetime God gave us on this earth!

Why is this important, because others might come to the saving knowledge of Christ.

Therefore, the passages (Psalm 37:4–5, James 4:7–8, Galatians 2:20) collectively illustrate that living for God involves not only desires aligned with His will but also requires an active commitment to Him.

These Scripture and much more in the Bible encourage us to actively work towards our spiritual goals through reliance on God's strength and guidance.

Big Idea: True fulfillment comes from a deliberate pursuit of God’s desires, a humble submission to His authority, and a radical embrace of our new identity in Christ, transforming how we live each day for Him.

1. Delight in Divine Desires

Psalm 37:4–5 CSB

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act,

Psalm 37:4–5 instructs us to delight in the Lord by aligning their deepest desires with His will. This passage suggests that fulfillment comes when we commit our way to God, trusting Him to bring our desires to fruition.

It talks about the importance of finding joy in seeking God's presence and aligning our hearts with His. And by cultivating this discipline, we become more sensitive to His guidance in life's decisions, ultimately finding peace and purpose in His plans.

What a beautiful passage this is. The context talks about keeping our eyes on the Lord, even when the wicket prosper – do not envy them; do not be mindful of them, but “trust” in the Lord, says the psalmist.

This goes contrary to our flesh – to our mind. How can this be? Why should I keep quite when the wicked are prospering and the faithful servants of the living God are suffering? How is this just? We may have all kinds of questions, but we must keep in mind that the Lord is “watching” what the wicked are doing!

The Word of God in this psalm says, that the Lord is “laughing” at the wicked. In verses 9-10, the Word says, “For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked person will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there.”

In verse 13, we learn “The Lord laughs at him because he sees that his day is coming.” So what are we to do? TRUST in the LORD! It means, put your confidence in God, and he will take care of the rest as he promised. The question is: DO WE TRUST IN HIM?

We live in the immediate now, we want things to happen today, this very moment. But trusting in God teaches us a different attitude that we ALL must adopt! Trusting God requires patience and having hope in His promised Word!

God never says one thing and does one thing. He did, He is doing, and He will do what He says He will do.

We must remain steadfast in Christ; we must pursue Christ; we must live for Christ, with a hope in Christ. The word of God says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

We have to take delight in the Lord and commit our ways to the Lord. We must look at the author and finisher of our salvation. The Word is NEVER going to be good with us, praise the Lord, because the world is as hopeless as it can be.

But our hope ought to be in Jesus. Our desire ought to be following Him. Our delight ought to be Jesus. And this brings the greatest joy in us.

Even though the wicket prospers, and the world laughs and mocks Christ, we shall not care, but to live with a single, undivided focus on Christ, and Christ alone.

When we make Jesus our goal and delight, everything else around us seems dim and distant from us.

2. Submit to Sovereign Strength

James 4:7–8 CSB

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Instead of worry about or constantly be mind of what the wicked are doing, how they are being prospered by the devil, we should focus on Jesus by submitting to his sovereign might. Jesus is the Sovereign Lord. He is the powerful, the Almighty.

In this life, that is, as long as we live in this world, we get bombarded by all kinds of things; we get tempted to do what the wicket are doing, what the world wants us to do.

However, we must be mindful that we belong to God; we are the “body of Christ,” and therefore, we must always submit to Christ.

The book of James 4:7–8 challenges us to actively resist evil and submit to God's authority. This calls for a daily commitment to seek close fellowship with God and a readiness to humble oneself before Him.

The passage also suggests that by drawing near to God, He will draw near to us, leading us to a deeper, more fulfilling relationship. But what is required for submission to God?

It requires trust and humility, paving the way for spiritual growth and resilience against life's challenges.

The context of James 4:7-8 talks about our desire for wrong things – things that will NOT honor God, that things that are of the world. We should not love the world nor the things of it, but we must be running far away from it and draw closer to God. The more we abandon the world, the more we have the possibility of growing closer to God.

In fact, this growing closer to God is not an option. The book of James says it explicitly that we must resist the devil and “yield” to God; we must “draw near to him” so that he can draw near to us.

Instead of submitting to our emotions tied to this world, we must get rid of them, and cling to God. As Christians, we have to submit to the sovereign authority of God and his strength.

Remember what Paul said in Phil. 4:13? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The same applies here. We can do all things right by relying and submitting our lives to the Sovereign Lord, Jesus Christ.

3. Embrace Your Identity in Christ

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

For us to live with Christ or to live for God, it not only requires that we should delight in the divine desires, and rely upon the sovereign strength of Jesus who strengthens us in our lives, but also embrace the identity and live out that identity in Christ.

In Galatians 2:20 we learn about the profound message of identity transformation through Christ's crucifixion. This passage signifies that living in Christ means our old self has died, and our new life is driven by faith in Jesus.

We have to live in reality – once you and I believe we belong to Christ, and we should meat it! When we accept this truth, it leads to authentic living for God, as Christ's life within us inspires and empowers our actions.

What should we do? Accept the call for this radical shift in identity, leading to a life marked by purpose, service, and the pursuit of godliness.

The Bible says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Are you crucified with Christ? What does it mean by crucifying with Christ? It means are you dead to your old life, the past, horrible life? Or are you still wandering in and out of that old life.

Let us face the reality – we do go back and forth; we are dragged into the old desires often. And that is why the Bible tells us we are in a spiritual warfare, lot more powerful than any literally earthly war.

Are you living for Christ? Is Christ living in you? Are you living by faith and in faith?

We must be surrounded and encompassed by the presence of Christ, our Lord and King!

Let us embrace our identify in Christ; let us live for Christ; let us delight in the Lord by submitting to his sovereign strength, and by aligning our lives with Christ – for me to live is Christ but to die is gain.