Living To Please God
Revelation 4
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
John 8:29 —And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
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I find it both interesting and encouraging that God receives pleasure from His creation. It takes our thoughts back to the book of Genesis when God assessed His handiwork “and God saw that it was good.”
It doesn’t frequently occur to me that God takes constant pleasure in what He created, including you and me. To my mind the idea of pleasing, of bringing pleasure, involves emotions that I don’t often equate with God. But clearly I am mistaken.
We see in the Gospel of John that Yeshua Himself diligently endeavored to please God. He always lived His life with a view to the pleasure of His Father.
The idea of pleasing someone or giving pleasure to someone involves the application of the person’s will. When two wills are in harmony it brings pleasure. When two wills are at odds there is much disharmony and displeasure.
When it comes to our relationship with God, pleasing Him means, at least in part, that our wills are aligned with and in submission to that which pleases Him. As it says in Amos 3:3 - “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” They can’t, can they? It’s not possible.
As we consider Yeshua and His relationship while on earth with His Father, we are given insight into how we too can please our heavenly Father. While it looks simple enough when considering the relationship of Yeshua with His Father, for us it’s not always that easy to live out with daily consistent regularity, is it?
You see, it comes down to the matter of the will. It’s something that has to reside within us. It has to stem from deep within the heart. It has to be an inbred, instinctual, incessant craving and longing much like the Psalmist as he expressed his longing for God.
Psalm 42:1-2 — “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
God’s children will be facing increasingly difficult days in the future. We are going to be tested in ways like never before — at least in America.
We are facing a new reality. We will never go back to “the good ole days.” The time has come for us to adjust the prism of how we see the world around us. Like it or not, we are approaching end times prophecy.
For us to to circumnavigate a successful course in the coming days, we will need to be able to look ourselves in the mirror and be pleased with what we see. And unless we’re hungering and thirsting to “always do those things that please him,” we will falter along the way.
I think it’s fair to conclude we have mostly lived our lives for our own pleasures. We constantly seek out ways to do what we want, how and when we want. It’s a circular ensnarement that we as Americans were born into and have bought into. Perhaps that’s been okay up until recently, but it won’t suffice much longer.
We need to change. And not just for ourselves.
We have the responsibility and obligation to effectively prepare the next generation for the end times realities they will be facing. We need to provide them with a consistent visual of what it looks like to be weaned from self and yielded over to God. Our lives have to model the paradigm that Yeshua Himself exemplified as He always lived and did that which pleased His Father.
If Yeshua could please His Father through submission to His will, we can too. How? By means of His Spirit that lives within the heart of every born-again believer.
But first …
We have to be honest with ourselves about the true state of our relationship with God. I can’t tell you how to do that. I can’t tell you what that will look like for you. But I do know progression is only possible through absolute honesty with ourselves and with God.
If we look at others or the world around us, we can always convince ourselves we are “not that bad.” But peering into the looking glass of God’s Word will always reveal us for what we are and what we are not.
How long has it been since you stood in front of the mirror of God’s Word? It’s only there you will really see the real you as you really are before God.
By way of an encouraging nudge, let me leave you with this verse from James 4:8 —
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
That’s a good place to start — Living To Please God.