John 16.1 reminds us that Jesus said all these things to us to keep us from falling away.

The Lord Jesus recognized that living with God and for God in this world full of selfish people, idolaters and evil entities would be hard but He gave His people all they needed to live a life pleasing to God.

First the Lord Jesus warned that three things would hinder both our relationship with God and our effectiveness for God.

The first was worrying about things we cannot control. We are to live in the contentment that God is sovereign over all and that He watches over us for good regardless of our circumstances.

Second, men pursue things that don’t matter. Titles and trophies do not define a man but rather His relationship with God and people determine his well-being. Wise is the man who knows this and lives that way.

Third is the wanting of things that don’t last. Like the second, the pursuit of treasure is foolish when eternity lies before all men that cannot be purchased by anything except the blood of Jesus.

In addition to His warning about worrying, the Lord Jesus provided His recorded word so that we could know Him and obey Him.

To live a life pleasing to God we must know God and what He demands from us. God has given us the Scriptures so that we are without excuse for knowing Him and fulfilling His purposes on the earth.

Finally, He has provided the Holy Spirit to empower us to obey Him.

People are full of good intentions unfulfilled. The good we want to do we don’t and the evil we hate we do.

Helpless and hopeless to live lives pleasing to God are we until we are surrendered to Him and empowered by Him through the Holy Spirit to obey all that He has commanded us.

Blessed be God our Savior Who has given us everything we need to know Him and please Him.