Here is a word we use every day.

But rarely take the time to define it biblically.

That word is better.

While the culture of our world thinks of “better” as an upgrade, Scripture defines “better” as alignment.

The question is not what feels better.

The real question is, what does God call better?

Christian artist Forrest Frank captured it well… You might’ve seen the viral videos, but here’s my favorite line: “I searched the world ’til my head hurt, Just to find out Your way’s better” (2024).

Here are 5 Better Ways for Followers of Christ.

1. God’s ways always lead us to BETTER values.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, “A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”

There is an old New England epitaph that reads:

“Beneath this sod and beneath these trees…  Lies the body of Solomon Peas… But this ain’t Peas, it’s just the pod… Peas shelled out and went to God.”

That little rhyme reminds us: The body returns to the ground. The soul returns to God. What remains behind is a name.

Before God changes your circumstances, He changes what you prize. A good name is better than wealth, luxury, and celebration. The Spirit teaches that character outweighs comfort.

Even more startling: the day of death can be better than the day of birth. The day of birth is full of potential. The day of death reveals what was actually built.

If your values are misaligned, everything downstream will shift. Better begins with what you prize.

Is there an area of life where you have accepted the world’s definition of better?

2. God’s ways always lead us to BETTER priorities.

When values shift, priorities follow.

Psalms 84:10 says, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Read also in NLV).

One day in God’s presence outweighs a thousand elsewhere. The contrast is clear: a doorkeeper near God is better than prominence in wickedness. We’ve been called out to draw near.

Proximity to God is always better than prominence before men. Better is choosing God even when it costs you something.

3. God’s ways always lead us to BETTER participation.

We now move from the personal to the corporate.

1 Corinthians 11:17, “Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.” Starting here and continuing through verse 22 of this chapter, we learn that the Corinthian Church had problems.

The Holy Spirit confronts gatherings marked by division, pride, distraction, and self-centeredness. Just because people attend and do all the activities doesn’t mean they’re actually growing.

Activity can mask stagnation. How we prepare and participate in worship services and groups determines whether we grow.

“Better” is not automatic. It requires humility, repentance, and unity. Negative attitudes like rivalry, showmanship, and unforgiveness can make our gatherings worse instead of better.

4. God’s ways always lead us to BETTER endurance.

Even when everything else is right, suffering still comes.

1 Peter 3:17, “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

The issue is not whether we suffer. The issue is why.

When we must suffer pain, it’s better to honor Christ in it.

It’s better to suffer for doing God’s will than escape suffering for doing evil. A clear conscience is better than temporary relief.

5. God’s ways always lead us to BETTER perseverance.

Our final better is the most sobering use of the word.

2 Peter 2:21, “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

Knowledge increases responsibility. To know the way of righteousness and turn from it hardens the heart.

Better is not just starting right. It is staying right.

Better is not just choosing right once. It is choosing right daily.

Better is finishing faithfully by doing what’s necessary to stay in alignment with God’s ways as we follow Christ.

Truth without perseverance becomes dangerous.

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Better is NOT about improvement; it’s about alignment.

Alignment with God today shapes who we will be tomorrow. That’s the “better” we’re always in need of.

Here is the arc of alignment that we’ve seen:

Values → Priorities → Participation → Endurance → Perseverance

We’ve moved from inner life to Church life to suffering to faithfulness. God’s ways are better. So let’s walk in them.

Where is the Holy Spirit calling you into alignment or realignment with His Word?