Tag: pleasing God

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Psalms Devotionals 2

Because of who He is

Mountain

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Yahweh, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14, LSB)

Those words are well familiar to me. I’ve read and sung them many times. But today, I was focusing on that last line.

Who is God to me?

God is “Yahweh.” The eternal one. The only God. The incomparably awesome One, God over all creation.

And yet, he is not a God far away. He is Immanuel, God with me. My rock. My foundation. My refuge in the storm.

More, he is my Redeemer. Jesus shed his blood for me on the cross, buying me out of slavery to Satan’s kingdom and graciously bringing me into his kingdom.

That’s who God is to me.

That’s why I love him.

And that’s why I seek to please him, singing with David,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight…

Who is God to you?

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John Devotionals

That everything I do would be pleasing to you

Man and woman praying

There were many words that hit my heart this morning. Perhaps none more so than verse 29 when Jesus said, “I always do what pleases the Father.”

I wish I could say that.

But there were other words too.

If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)

Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (34-36)

…my teaching makes no progress among you. (37, NET)

The one who is from God listens to God’s words. (47)

I honor my Father and you dishonor me. (49)

And so my prayer for the day.

Lord Jesus, I want to be like you. I wish I could say with you that all I do pleases the Father. But that is not so. There are many things I do that are displeasing to him.

Forgive me. Help me to never dishonor the Father or you by my words or my actions.

Instead, let there always be room in my heart for your Word. Let it progress in my heart. Help me to understand it better. Not only that, help me to obey it better.

Help me to be like Abraham, listening to the truth of your Word, believing and accepting the truth, and following the truth.

Jesus, thank you for your grace. Because of you, I am no longer a slave to sin. By your blood shed on the cross, you have set me free. Thank you for making me a child of God.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

Justice?

2 Samuel

This is one of those passages where I wonder, “Was this God’s will?”

Saul had broken the treaty the Israelites had made with the Gibeonites by murdering them. (Joshua 9:3-17)

As a result, the land was spiritually polluted, and God sent a famine on the land. (Numbers 35:30-34).

After three years of famine, David sought God to find the reason for the famine and God told him.

But here, things get somewhat spiritually muddy.

David goes to the Gibeonites to ask what reparations could be made. They asked that seven of Saul’s descendants be handed over to them to be executed, and David acquiesced.

But was he right to do so?

For one thing, God said that only the blood of the murderer himself could atone for the murder. (Numbers 35:33).

For another, God specifically commanded that children could not be punished for the sins of the father. (Deuteronomy 24:16)

Finally, while God never addressed a situation where the murderer was already dead, he did address a situation where the murderer could not be brought to justice.

In that case, atonement was made by sacrifice and prayer. (Deuteronomy 21:1-9)

Perhaps, God would have given slightly different instructions in this situation, but I would guess that his instructions would have been fairly close to what he had commanded before.

But the key point is, David never did ask God what to do.

Ironically, Joshua made the same mistake when he first dealt with the Gibeonites. (Joshua 9:14)

By his grace, God did bring an end to the famine. But is there any hint that David’s action wasn’t what God was looking for?

I think there is. The famine continued even past the execution of Saul’s descendants.

In fact, we see another violation of God’s law. A person who was executed was not to be left hanging overnight. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)

It was only when the bodies were taken down and buried that the famine ended.

What’s my point?

How well do we know God’s word? Do we know it well enough to know what pleases and displeases God?

If we don’t, well-meaning though we may be, we can still do things displeasing to him.

So let us daily read and study his word. Only then can we find out how to truly please him.

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2 Corinthians Devotionals

That I may please you

2 Corinthians

Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him…

For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died.

And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10, 14-15)

Lord, it is my desire to be pleasing to you. That in everything, in all my thoughts, in all my actions, I would please you.

But so often I look at my life and see how I fall short. And I realize again that is why you had to die on the cross.

But now through what you did for me on the cross, I have become the righteousness of God.

When you see me, you don’t see my sins or failures. Rather, I am now clothed in Christ’s perfect righteousness. And because of that, you accept me and say, “You are my child whom I love. I am well pleased with you.”  

Your love for me is amazing.

Let that love be the driving force in my life. Let it shape the way I see my life. Let it shape the way I see others.

Let me live each day not for myself, but for you.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Proverbs Devotionals

Our Father’s heart

In this passage, Solomon is writing to his son. But in his words, I think we see our heavenly Father’s heart toward us. 

My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart will indeed rejoice.

My innermost being will celebrate
when your lips say what is right. (Proverbs 23:15-16)

I think most parents can understand those words. When we see our children acting wisely and doing what is right, it gives us joy.

In the same way, our heavenly Father’s heart rejoices when he sees us acting wisely and doing what is right. 

And so he tells us, 

Listen, my son, and be wise;
keep your mind on the right course. (19)

But more importantly, he tells us, 

My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways. (26)

More than anything else, God wants our hearts. Because if he has our hearts, we will delight in following him and his ways. 

Father, I give you my heart. Help me keep my mind on the right course. And let me live in a way that brings joy to your heart. I love you. In Jesus’ name amen. 

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John Devotionals

Never cast aside

John

The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:29)

When I read these words, my first reaction was, “I wish I could say what Jesus did. I wish I could say I always do what pleases the Father.”

But the truth is, I often fall. I sin.

Recently, I often find myself questioning my motives. I question my thoughts, my words, my actions. “Are these things pleasing to you, God?”

And sometimes, I just don’t know.

But the amazing thing is I can say the same thing that Jesus did. The Father is still with me. He has not left me alone.

I can say that not because I always do what pleases the Father. Because many times I don’t.

I can say it because Jesus paid the price for all my sins on the cross. And each day, I stand in his grace.

As Paul once wrote,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

Let us hold on to that truth today, and every day.

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Hebrews

A faith that believes that God is good

Hebrews

“God is good.”

“All the time.”

“All the time…”

“God is good.”

I’ve been to a couple of churches for which this was kind of a mantra.

But how many of us really believe it? Oh sure, in good times it’s easy to believe and say with enthusiasm.

But in hard times?

Or how about in times when we don’t understand what God is doing?

Or in times when we can’t see what the future holds?

Do we still believe that God is good?

This is a fundamental question of faith. For as the writer of Hebrews says,

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

“He rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Put another way, “He rewards those who believe he is good. That he will keep his promises. That he will not let our labors go in vain. That our struggles are not for nothing.”

But do we believe this enough to keep seeking him no matter our circumstances? Unless we do, we cannot please God.”

Abraham believed this. God promised that he would have many descendants through Isaac. But then one day, God turns around and says, “Abraham, give your son to me as a sacrifice.”

Not a simple dedicating of Isaac’s life to God’s service. But a literal sacrifice.

How Abraham’s mind must have spun. For the three days it took to reach the mountain where he would sacrifice his son, what thoughts went through his mind?

“How can God ask this of me? He promised I would have descendants through Isaac. But how can that be if Isaac is dead?”

But in the end, Abraham concluded, “God is good. He will keep his promises. And if he asks me to sacrifice my son, then it must be that he will raise him up again. He is the God of life and death. And he is good.”

He lifted up his knife to kill Isaac, and as we know, an angel stopped him and said, “No, you don’t have to do that. Now I know that you fear God.”  (Genesis 22:10-12)

God was good.

Isaac saw this and because of that, he could bless his sons Jacob and Esau although the future was still cloudy.

In his time, he still hadn’t truly inherited the land God had promised. He only had the plot of land that his father Abraham had purchased. But Isaac believed God was good, and blessed his sons in that belief.

Jacob went through a lot of trials in his life, most through his own doing, some not. But through it all, he saw God’s goodness and faithfulness to him, and so when he was ready to die, he also was able to bless his sons with that knowledge.

Joseph too went through a lot, being taken to Egypt as a slave, but seeing God’s goodness and how God used that situation not only to save himself but his entire family.

And though he had a good life in Egypt, he knew that God was good and would return his family back to the land God had promised. And so he gave instructions that when that time came, they would bury his bones there.

How about you? What are you going through in life? Can you say from your heart God is good? That God is faithful? That God will keep his promises to you?

Unless you truly believe that, you will never be able to please God.

What kind of faith do you have?

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Hebrews

The need for faith

Hebrews

Why is faith so important?

Because for whatever reason, it is the one thing that God desires from all of us as his creatures.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that it is for their faith that God commended all that came before us. (Hebrews 11:2)

More, it is our faith and that faith alone that will commend us before God even now. For from that faith, everything else springs: the love we have for him, the worship we offer him, and the obedience and loyalty that we have for him.

Think about it. If we do not believe that he exists, that he loves us, and that he is looking out for our best, will we love him? Will we worship him. Will we be loyal to him and obey him?

Fear may take care of the latter three, but God does not want us to worship him, be loyal to him, and obey him out of fear. Rather, he wants us to do these things out of our love for him.

And for this reason, the writer of Hebrews tells us,

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Think about Cain for a moment. Why was his sacrifice rejected?

We don’t know all the details, but from what the writer of Hebrews tells us, it ultimately came down to the fact that his offering did not come from his faith in God.

Perhaps he gave his offering grudgingly, muttering in his heart, “Why do I have to give this to God?”

Perhaps God had required an animal sacrifice, and Cain thought, “Why aren’t the things I grow as a farmer enough? I’ll just give what I want to give.”

But whatever the reason, Cain failed to show faith in God. And because of that, God rejected his offering.

Abel, on the other hand, offered his sacrifice by faith. And because of his faith, he loved God, was loyal to him, and obeyed him. So when God saw his sacrifice, he gladly accepted it.

Think about Enoch. He was one of two people that never tasted death. (Elijah was another). God simply took him to be with him.

Why? Because “he walked with God.”

When the Old Testament was translated into Greek, they translated “walked with God,” as “pleased God.”

In short, to please God, you need to walk in close relationship with God.

But you cannot walk  in close relationship with God if you don’t believe he exists, believe that he loves you, and believe that he’s looking out for your best. It is simply impossible.

How about you? Do you want to live a life pleasing to God? Do you want to have his commendation in your life?

Then ask yourself: Do I truly believe he exists? Do I really believe he loves me? Do I truly believe he is looking out for my best?

Until you can answer yes to all three questions, you’ll never be able to truly please him.

Where is your heart today? 

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Proverbs

Pleasing the Lord

How do we live lives pleasing to our Lord?

Solomon writes in verse 3,

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)

We can’t hide from God.  Not only does he see all our actions, he sees our very hearts.

Solomon wrote,

Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD – how much more the hearts of men!  (11)

In other words, if the grave and hell themselves are open to the eyes of the Lord, how much more are our hearts laid open before him?

So if we want to please the Lord, it cannot just be through our outward actions.  We need to have hearts that are fully committed to him as well, because God sees beyond our actions to our very hearts and motives.

Solomon says as much in verses 8-9.

The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

The LORD detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

You can sacrifice your time by going to church.  But what are you doing the rest of the time?  Are you merely living for yourself?

You can sacrifice your money by tithing or even giving to charity.  But what about the rest of your money?  Are you spending it on things that would please the Lord?

Sacrifices without a true love for God means nothing to him.

As Solomon writes,

The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him.  (26)

If God were to look upon your thoughts at this moment, what would he see?  A person whose whole heart is set on pleasing him?  Or on pleasing itself?

And when God brings discipline into your life, how do you respond?

We’ve mentioned this in previous blogs, but the same theme arises in this chapter time and again.  The importance of humility and the willingness to accept God’s discipline.

Solomon warns,

A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. (5)

And again,

He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.  He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.  (31-33)

So if you want to please the Lord, remember two things.

First, pleasing the Lord can’t be a once a week thing on Sunday.  It’s impossible to be a part-time Christian.  You either are one or you’re not.

God doesn’t only want a part of us.  He wants all of us.

Second, if we’re going to please him, we need a humble heart that listens to him when he corrects us.

Only in practicing these two things can we truly please him.

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Genesis

Grieving God, pleasing God

Genesis

Verses 5–6 really strike me in this chapter.

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. (Genesis 6:5-6)

When we see evil in this world, we often weep or are disturbed, but how often do we think about God’s feelings on the matter?

God weeps too. And his heart gets filled with pain too from seeing all the hurt that comes from a broken, sinful world.

How often do my actions cause God to weep? How often do my actions cause God pain?

I’ve mentioned before that because God is invisible, it’s easy to ignore him at times. And it often becomes convenient to ignore him when I choose to sin. But when I do, God sees, and it fills his heart with pain.

But when God saw Noah, he saw someone that brought a smile to his face. In verse 8, it says that Noah found favor in the eyes of God. At a time when everyone was doing all sorts of evil, God called him blameless.

It would’ve been so easy for Noah to say, “Well, everyone else is doing whatever they want. Why shouldn’t I?” But instead, Noah dared to be different.

Even when God gave him a difficult task that probably didn’t make much sense (building a huge boat in an area where there was no ocean or lake even remotely in sight), he didn’t complain. He didn’t argue.

When his neighbors and perhaps even his relatives ridiculed him, he didn’t waver in his obedience.

Instead, he did everything just as God commanded him.

If only I could be the same. If only my life could bring a smile to the heart of God.

Lord, forgive me for the times when I’ve ignored you and fallen into sin. Forgive me for the times I’ve caused you pain and made you weep.

Lord, let me be like Noah. Let me be different from the people around me. Help me to trust you and obey you in everything, even when it’s difficult. Even when I don’t know the whys.

And let my life bring a smile to your face whenever you see me. In Jesus’ name, amen.