Our Venerable Father Joannicius the Great (846); the Holy Martyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra and the Priest Hermas
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Luke 11:9-13
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they were not ‘pleasers of men’. Some of us are people pleasers more than others. We want to please the important people in our life. Our employers so as to retain our position, or receive praise, or perhaps a financial bonus. Hopefully we are motivated by love and service to please our spouse, children or close friends. But how often do we ask ourselves this question: “Will this please the Lord?” If we are honest with ourselves we most often forgo asking ‘how to please the Lord’ and instead we filter through the perspective of ‘how will this please me?’ Growth and progress in the spiritual life depends on our willingness to strive to uphold the Lord’s will and not our own. To strive to please the Lord instead of my own ego or the affirmation of men. Pleasing the Lord takes courage and strength, but it pays great dividends for those who engage in the regular practice of expression of love for the Lord by seeking to please Him. A sure way of inviting Christ into my life and growing in Divine Grace is to regularly and actively keep in the forefront of my heart how I can serve and please the Lord with every thought, word and deed.