Pleasing God …

Believe it or not, having a desire to please God IS a good thing!

We don’t hear that message from many of our leaders. We hear the shout of “Grace!” so constantly that we have warped it to mean we’re free to do whatever we want; it has turned us inward rather than humbled us. We’ve missed the fact that it is precisely because of the grace and love of God that we should strive to please Him!

Don’t misunderstand: a desire to please God is not rooted in a sense of duty, but rather, as a natural response to the One we love. Just as it is natural to desire to please your spouse, we should have a greater desire to please God. It should be a wonderful thing to us when we live in such a way that makes God smile upon us.

The example Jesus provided us is one of doing that which is pleasing to God, “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him,” (John 8:29) and the Apostle Paul makes clear that pleasing God should be our desire as well:

“So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him“ (2 Corinthians 5:9).

“Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more,” 1 Thessalonians 4:1.

“For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts,” 1 Thessalonians 2:4.

As we purposely live to please God, He is so gracious to us that He enables us to be able to please Him …

“Now may the God of peace — who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood — may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen,” Hebrews 13:21-22.

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him,” Philippians 2:12-13.

Scotty