Please the Lord

2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

A devotion that I read lately  said in this verse, Paul expresses the strong desire to be “pleasing to” the Lord Jesus Christ. It should likewise be our own ambition—whatever we do and wherever we are—to please Him. Psalm 19:14 has been the model for me and countless others, saying “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” When we align our will with God’s will, then God’s will give us the desires of our heart. This, of course, will make a difference in what we do and where we go!

Deuteronomy 6:17-18a “You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you.”

The Scriptures give us a number of specific ways in which we can be confident of pleasing Him. Our criterion should be pleasing Him—not ourselves. We are warned that “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). That is, our thoughts and deeds must not be governed by worldly considerations. In Galatians 5:16-17 the Apostle Paul explains, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” The sin nature is within us, so we have to consciously align our will with the Lord and walk in the Spirit.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

We must walk by faith if we would please the Lord. This is not faith in the abstract, but specific truth—faith to believe the revealed Word of God and to act on that faith. In Romans 1:16-17 the Apostle Paul explains, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” There is an obligation to the gospel. In 1 Thessalonians 2:4 the Apostle Paul explains, “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God”.

Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.” May this be our prayer always.

Please the Lord.

In Christ, Brian