In John 8:29 we read, “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.” This is a promise for us. God the Father is with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. This was a reality in the life of Jesus and it can be ours also. How should my life be in order to claim this promise? Our life’s aim should be to always do His will. We have a short span of life on this earth. During this short time, what is our aim? God will take care of us, he will never leave us. But on our part, we should live a life pleasing to God. We can’t please God by giving some money or by doing something for Him. We can please God with the way we live our life. From the story of Cain & Abel we know that only if God is pleased in us; will he be pleased in our offering. If we can’t please God with our life, all the activities we do will be like wood, hay and straw in the Day of Judgment – useless.
When we hear the word of God today, let us examine our lives if it is pleasing to God or is grieving God. When we are at home how do you deal with your wife and kids? At work, how is your attitude and conduct? Are you careful in the way you talk? Are you often getting angry? Are we pleasing God or grieving God with our lives? In Romans 2:23,24 we read, Paul says, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written.” We may boast saying we have the right doctrines, we hear the word of God, our church teaches the right truth; but is the name of the Lord being blasphemed through us? If what we hear is not becoming life in us, then we are blaspheming the name of the Lord.
Our life must be on that is pleasing to God. In Mathew 3:16,17 we read, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” When our life is one that is pleasing to God, God can testify that we are His beloved children. God the Father made this statement even before Jesus did a single miracle. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Jesus’ first 30 years, but this statement shows us that Jesus always pleased the Father. The 30 years of Jesus’ hidden life pleased God. God watches our inner life, not at the external acts we do. God who sees in secret, watches if our life is a pleasing aroma to Him.
In Psalms 19:14 we read, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” This is the prayer of David, that we can also have in our hearts. David was a man after God’s own heart. The story of Enoch is familiar to us. He also lived his life in a manner pleasing to God. In Genesis 5:22 we read that Enoch walked with God for 300 years with his family. In Hebrews 11:5 we read that Enoch obtained the witness that he was pleasing to God. This is an encouragement for us to live a live pleasing to God.
Paul had a great ambition in His life to be pleasing to God (2 Corinthians 5:9). Wherever we are, let us have an ambition to please God. In 2 Timothy 2:4 we read, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” We are the soldiers of Jesus Christ, so our aim must be to please the one who enlisted us. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 we read of the history of the Israelites as a warning to us. They fell in the wilderness because God was not pleased with them. In Hebrews we read that without faith it is impossible to please God. God wants to remove the evil unbelief in our hearts. In Romans 8:8 we read that those who are in the flesh can’t please God. If we do the deeds of the flesh, we can’t please God. Only if we are in the spirit can we set our mind on things of the spirit and thereby please God. If we seek to please man, we can’t please God.
Our words, our actions, our responses should all be pleasing to God. In Romans 12 we read, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Let us seek to live likewise. Like the angel told Mary, the Holy Spirit will be with us to help us. Let this be the desire in our hearts and God will fulfill that desire. May God bless us.
