What Pleases the Lord? (Part 2)

“and find out what pleases the Lord.” Ephesians 5:10

As we continue on in our treasure hunt in searching out what pleases the Lord I would like to refer you to Part 1 of this series if you have not already read that before continuing on with us in Part 2. Otherwise, welcome!

Obedience

But Samuel replied: “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.” 1 Samuel 15:22

“If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15

Obedience to our Heavenly Father and His word is one of the simplest ways to please the Lord. However, there are times when obedience feels as if it is one of the hardest things to do. Especially, when we are caught between doing what is right and doing what we want (what feels good). Obedience isn’t always easy, but it is always right. Take for example Abraham with his son Isaac. I have no doubt that Abraham had thoughts of disobeying the Lord. What parent in their right mind would want to kill their own child? Abraham had to struggle between what was right and what felt right. God honored Abraham’s obedience by sending a ram as a substitute sacrifice instead of Isaac. Are we willing to obey even when it doesn’t make sense? Are we willing to obey when it goes against everything within us that “feels” right?” Like Abraham, are we willing to obey when it “appears” to go against God’s promise over our life? There are times when our obedience will be tested. How will our obedience measure up when the testing comes?  

Giving of our lives

“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

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:15-16

The fruit of our lives often speaks louder than our words. Are we bearing fruit that is tender and sweet or is it bitter and tart in the mouth of others? The people around us should be able to taste and see that the Lord is good. If our lives are not visibly showing Christ, then we can not possibly please the Lord. Hebrews tells us that we should be continually offering praise, the fruit of our lips should speak of His name. If we are not speaking about our Savior and all He has done in our lives, how can we possibly please God? Our lives are a walking, breathing, speaking, living testimony of God’s amazing grace. If we do not speak of this, who will? When we give our entire life, everything we do and say to the Lord as a living testimony for the world to see, hear, and taste, this pleases our Heavenly Father. By walking our lives this way we will stand before Christ and hear “well done good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

Humility

“For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” Psalm 149: 4

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17

Our humility is the key to God’s heart. Our Heavenly Father delights in a heart that is humble and broken before him. If our hearts are not in a place of humility the Lord is not obligated to move on our behalf. His heart is moved by our humility. Our humility pleases the Lord. Think about how much easier it is to work with others who are humble and teachable as opposed to those who are arrogant and unyielding. Our relationship with God is no different. When we keep our hearts humble before Him, He is able to do so much more in us and through us then when we are puffed up with arrogance and pride. Our humility will become our crown of victory. How humble we are will determine the size of our victory crown. A heart full of humility the Lord will cherish.

Righteousness

“The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.” Proverbs 11:20

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:3 (ESV)

The Lord takes delight in us when we walk in righteousness, when our ways are blameless. I think the best way to put this into perspective is to relate it to the parent/child relationship. When our kids are being respectful, honoring and obedient with no malice or bitterness in their hearts, then we as parents can delight in them. On the flip side of that, if our children are rebelling and doing all they can to disassociate from us, then our hearts can not fully delight in them. This does not mean that we do not still love them, of course we do, but we will inevitably find ourselves frustrated and worn out by them during these times. I believe in some small way our Heavenly Father is much the same way. He never stops loving us no matter how far we push Him away, but I believe His heart can not fully delight in us when we are not walking in righteousness. So, if we want to make the heart of the Lord smile, we should walk righteously and blamelessly before Him. 

Grace

“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.” Romans 14:13-18

I realize this is a long section of scripture, but I felt the need to include more than just the emphasized section so that you had an understanding of what was going on. Paul was addressing the Roman Christians (as well as us today) that we need to be willing to extend grace in some areas and not be so legalistic. In the transitioning between the old covenant and the new covenant Paul realized that there would be Christians at various stages learning how to function under a new way of interacting with the Lord. He was encouraging them to extend one another grace as they learned how to make this transition. We too need to become a people of grace. New believers are not going to understand everything that a mature Christian might. We can let righteousness, peace and joy flow out of each of us and by doing so, grace will be there as well to understand that God is working on each heart in His own way and in His own time. If we try to become legalistic about all of it we become no better than the pharisees and sadducees, and we all know how Christ felt about them.

Call to action

Today we discussed five things that please the Lord. We talked about our obedience, the giving of our lives and the fruit we are producing, our humility, walking in righteousness, and extending grace. All of these things bring a smile to the face of our Heavenly Father when we put them into practice. I realize this list may seem overwhelming, but I want to encourage you today to choose one of the five things we discussed and make a conscious effort to make that a priority. Take one thing and please the Lord with that one area this week and watch how God’s heart will delight in you because of your diligence.

Sweet Father, I thank you that you have given us keys to your heart in your word. Thank you that you have shown us the very things that please you. I pray that you give us each a drive to work on at least one of these five areas this week so that we can bring a smile to your face and in turn become a witness to the world. We pray this in your precious name.