What's Your Mandate?

"Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." Colossians 1:10, NLT

Let’s be honest, do we really think it’s possible to live in such a way as to “always honor and please the Lord”? At first glance that might seem a little tough. I do think it’s totally possible, but not without some sort of plan. About 7 years ago I put together this list of 8 personal goals/challenges that I believed would help me to honor and please Jesus Christ with my life – as a man, a husband, a father and a pastor. This list is the first page of my planner, so I’m reminded of them everyday.

So, here’s my list:

(1) Maintain a genuine, growing, intimate relationship with God. (Matthew 4:4, Jeremiah 29:13)

By having a daily quiet time for personal prayer and devotional Bible reading.

(2) Love my wife as Jesus loves His Church. (Ephesians 5:25, Proverbs 5:15, 1 Peter 3:7)

By actively pursuing times for encouragement and communication through focused time with her.

(3) Be a loving and nurturing father to my children. (Ephesians 6:4)

By being actively engaged in their lives through quality time and activities.

(4) Have a lifestyle that promotes the kingdom of God through my work at Valley Family Church and as a member of our community. (1 Corinthians 9:22, 1 Timothy 3:7)

By living a holy and devoted life and being God-minded in my relationships in and outside of the church.

(5) Demonstrate good financial stewardship and integrity in all aspects of my life. (Luke 16:11-13, Proverbs 19:1, Proverbs 20:7)

By living within our annual budget, while saving and investing for our future, and by continued study in the area of investments.

(6) Develop my God-given gifts to fulfill my calling as a pastor and a leader. (1 Peter 4:10)

By having a personal growth plan, including listening to podcasts and CD’s, studying and furthering my education.

(7) Maintain my physical health through proper diet and exercise. (1 Corinthian 9:27, 3 John 2)

By eating right and scheduling regular times for running and weight training.

(8) Be committed to developing stronger relationships with friends, staff, church members and those outside the church. (Proverbs 18:24, Proverbs 27:17)

By actively pursuing opportunities to build relationships one on one.

So there they are, the principles that guide my life. Like I said, I call these my life mandates. So a little word of encouragement to you is to print this out and take some time to prayerfully consider what your personal mandate might look like. I’m sure it will be different than mine, but let’s connect in heaven and see how we both did.

I pray that as you live to honor and please the Lord, you will learn to know Him better and better.

With my love-

Jeff