We know how to please our family members. We understand what makes our spouses happy. We understand the responsibility to live a pleasing and honorable life so that our parents can be proud of our lives. Do we know how to please God who created us? Do we know the heart of Jesus and what makes him happy? As people who love Jesus, we ought to know what pleases our master. We are called to live a life pleasing to Him. Today we are going to meditate on what pleases the heart of Jesus. It is our responsibility to live a pleasing life to Him. We are continuing our journey on the topic of knowing God.
Obedience is better than Offering
If we desire to live a pleasing life before God, we ought to obey Him with all our hearts. God can not speak to those who do not obey Him. When we say obedience to God it is full 100% obedience. He knows our hearts and their thoughts. God can easily find out how much truthful we are to Him.
God gave very clear instructions to Saul, who is the first king of Israel. God told him to fight a battle against Amalekites and destroy them. He asked Saul to destroy all the cattle, sheep, lamb, and camel. But Saul chose to retain some of the fat calves and lambs. God said, "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." - 1 Samuel 15:11. Are we making God regret because He created us? We might tell God that we obey him 99%. But God demands our 100% obedience.
Saul gave excuses from his side to justify his action. He said, "The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal." Saul gave a polished excuse for why he could not obey the Lord. Similar to Saul we might also have many excuses in our life for not obeying God fully.
God spoke through Prophet Samuel to Saul, "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry."
The disobedience cost Saul his kingship and above all relationship with God.
Dear friend, can we introspect our life today? In what areas in our lives we are disobeying Jesus? He is our loving father, who gave his life to us. It is our responsibility to please Him with all our hearts. Let's ask Jesus to purge our hearts today and ask Him to remove anything and everything that displeases Him. It is our responsibility to make Him happy.
Faith Pleases God
The Bible says, "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."
Many times we pray hard without any faith. We do not have faith that Jesus will answer our prayers. The Bible says, "when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord." If Jesus has to answer our prayers we need to believe in Him. If your faith is lacking we encourage you to go through the testimonies on our website. These are the testimonies written by people who have experienced miracles. Out of thankful hearts, they have shared life-changing testimonies. We hope it will boost your faith in Jesus.
The Bible says, "In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed, and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk." - Acts 14:8-10
Dear friend, are you struggling due to a lack of faith? Please read all the miracles Jesus did. Ask Him to do the same to your life. He is not partial. That God who healed someone in the Bible can heal you from spiritual, emotional, and physical sickness. If lack faith then we can not please God and we can not receive answers for our prayers.
The Fear of God
It pleases God when we fear Him and put all our hope in Him. The Bible says, "The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love." - Psalm 147:11.
The fear of God originates out of respect, honor, and love. We love him and follow Him because He loved us first. Jesus gave His life for us on the cross. God is holy and worthy to be praised. The Bible says, ".. At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:10,11. "Jesus" is the most honorable name. It is the Holy name. In heaven, the angel praises Him in name day and night. Even a thousand tongues would not be enough to praise His Holy name.
When we fear God out of reverence, respect, and honor, it pleases our Lord. He delights his heart.
Offering our life as Living Sacrifice
The Bible says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." - Romans 12:1
Jesus is not asking us to give gold or silver. All the Gold and Silver belong to Him. He is asking for our hearts and our precious lives. He seeks our love and fellowship. Jesus is seeking our precious life. He gave us this life. He wants us to be accountable for how we live this life. Are we glorifying the name of Jesus through our lives? Do we live every day, every minute of life to glorify His name? Most of the time we are worried about what others think about us. Do we care how others see Jesus through our lives? Do our words and actions reflect the qualities of our life?
Dear friend, your life is precious. You are the most precious creation of this world. Please do not throw it away. Spend it by glorifying the name of Jesus. It pleases the heart of Jesus, we spend it rightfully. He seeks the living sacrifice. This is the most acceptable offering we can give to God.
God Delights in Blameless Heart
Our God delights in blameless man. The Bible says, "He (God) delights in those whose ways are blameless." - Proverbs 11:20.
Jesus calls Nathaniel, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." Can Jesus say the same thing about our life? Are we living a blameless life before Jesus? The heart of Jesus delights in a blameless and pure heart with no deceit.
God gave testimony about His dear son by saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17.
Is God pleased with our life? Are we living a life that is pleasing and delighting His heart? Let's go to His presence and confess our lives. Ask Jesus to give us a heart that pleases Him. A heart that always obeys and lives a blameless life. Ask Him to give a life that lives as a living sacrifice. Jesus will surely change our lives. He will give us a new heart.
Let's pray. Please place your hand on your heart and call upon the name of Jesus. Pray the below prayer along with us from the bottom of your heart.
Dear Jesus, I (Insert your name here) come to you with a humble heart. Please change my life. Help me to live a pleasing life before you. Give me a new heart. A heart that always seeks you and loves you. Give me a blameless heart. Let me live an upright life. Let me offer my life as a living sacrifice to you. I have lived all my life to please myself. Let me live the rest of my life to please you. Please forgive my past mistakes. Wash me with your precious blood. Lead me. Bless me and make me a blessing for many. Help me to be salt and light to many. Help me to always glorify your name. Let me live a pleasing life for you. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
We are so glad you were able to join with us today. May Jesus bless you and make you a blessing for many. Keep in touch.
