Pleasing God 101

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts;

I cannot stand your assemblies.

Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them.

Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,

I will have no regard for them.

Away with the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!"

Amos 5:21-24

One of the hardest things about raising a child is in letting go once they reach adulthood.  As a parent, I have dreams and expectations for my daughters' lives.  I want them to live up to their potential and for them to be the best they can possibly be.  This desire to see my children thrive, however, can sometimes lead me to inadvertently place pressure on them to perform. . . to succeed. . . to go the way I want them to go (and they way I think they should go).  Mother knows best, right?

Wrong!  We are each accountable to God, as our Creator and heavenly Father.  As such, it is my ultimate desire that my daughters live to please God.  While there's no pleasing some parents, there is a way to please God.  He has made His expectations perfectly clear if I am paying attention to His Word, but sometimes I get caught up in trying to please God in the same way I tried to please my parents when I was a young person.  I do what everyone else around me is doing in church, I sign up for every activity that will show how committed I am to God and His people, and I try to exhibit an exuberance for the Lord whenever I'm around His people.  In other words, I try to impress God instead of pleasing Him.

If I want to truly please God, I must pay attention to what He says and then actually put it into motion.  I can start by stop trying to please people, whether it be my parents or other believers, and proceed by doing what God says is important.   It's really not a mystery. . .maybe it's time for me to go back to school and start with the basics.

Act Justly

When I was in my early 20's, I got into a car accident where my car was totaled, but I emerged uninjured.  I had been waiting for traffic to clear at an intersection when I saw my chance.  I pulled out in front of a car driving without his lights on in the foggy early morning dimness.  I didn't see him until it was too late.  

At the time of the accident, my only concern was in how I would get around since I no longer had my own set of wheels.  Then, I received a ticket.  Suddenly, I gained a new concern: justice.  This is so unfair!  I had my lights on and was waiting for traffic to clear before I turned.  I did not see the real culprit and cause of the accident: the driver of the pea-green car who hadn't bothered to turn on his lights!  How could this be my fault!  I was the victim!  He actually turned into me instead of trying to avoid me.  I can't believe I'm getting a ticket for this!    I ranted and raved to anyone who would listen.

Finally, the day of judgement came and I took my case before the judge.  I thought I was so clever to bring the weather report for that day to show it was foggy.  The judge was unimpressed and matter-of-factly said it was my fault because I am the one who turned.  If I hadn't made that move, there would not have been an accident.  He lowered the fine but placed the bulk of the blame squarely on my shoulders.

Judges are usually fair and impartial; looking at the facts and acting accordingly.  They are not to be swayed by emotions or show any kind of favoritism.  In the same way, God wants His people to act justly, treating others with a sense of fairness.  Many times, though, my judgement is skewed to favor those with whom I share a friendship or work against those whom I dislike.  I can hold some to a higher standard because I see something in them that irritates me: Maybe its a prideful attitude or a sense of entitlement. Whatever the case may be, I don't always treat everyone the same.

James talked about this tendency in James 2:1-4 (NLT).  "My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?  For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another come in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.  If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, 'You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor'--well, doesn't this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?"

Why I do things are just as important as what I do.  If my motivation is selfish, any deed I do, no matter how noble-looking, will not please God.  If, however, my drive is to treat people fairly out of a love for God and His sense of justice, then my actions will please God.  

In order to treat people fairly, I must lead with the heart.

Love Mercy

I'm sure if I were a hermit, I would be the most kind and tender-hearted woman anyone had ever met. "Course, if I were a hermit no one would ever meet me so what difference would it make if I were merciful and loving?  

To be honest, it's my exposure to the cruel, hurtful and just plain mean people that brings out the worst in me!  I have plenty of that ugly stuff inside of me already, but seeing it in others just brings it readily to the surface.  For instance, after seeing the callous way a father deals with his son, or the nasty talk that comes out of teenagers' mouths, or the brutal way people treat each other, I tend to drift toward that kind of attitude.  It's way too easy for the harsh and ruthless ways of the world to rub off on me.

If, however, I want to please God, it is vital that I love mercy.  If it were the greatest delight of my heart to be able to forgive those who treated me rudely, then I would truly be reflecting God's character to those around me.  What father doesn't puff up with love and pride as he hears how his son has followed in his footsteps?  God also loves it when we mirror His mercy.

Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant?  The man had a huge debt excused by his master.  Then, he turned around and had one who owed him a small amount thrown into jail. He did not pass on the forgiveness he himself had received.

As natural as it is for me to be hard on others even though Jesus has forgiven me of so much, I am instead called to be generous with my forgiveness.   Martin Luther said that, "The higher people are in the favor of God, the more tender they are."  This gentleness comes as I keep my own sin ever before me.

In order to treat people mercifully, I must constantly remember the forgiveness Jesus has shown to me.

Walk Humbly with God

Sometimes its easier to trust God and obey Him in times of crisis than it is in the hum-drum commonplace ways of life.  But, as 20th Century Psychology Professor Abraham Maslow said, "The great lesson is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's backyard."  

God wants us to bring Him into the ordinary parts of our lives, the day-to-day living, the ongoing struggles.  It is His desire that I walk with Him in all His ways.  

When I am frustrated with the feeling that no one really appreciates all that I do, I can be assured that God sees my efforts.  

When I am tired of repeating the same instructions over and over again without the lesson ever being learned, I can trust that God can change a stubborn heart.  

When it seems like I'm the same as I was last year, never really growing stronger in my faith, I can rest in the knowledge that, "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 1:6)

Maybe my focus is wrong.  Perhaps I am frustrated because I'm not keeping my eyes on God and all that He is doing around me.  It could be that I'm tired of the repetition because I'm so focused on trying to get a certain result from my effort.  Possibly I'm not seeing the transformation God is performing in my life because I am only concentrating on my failures instead of on His successes.  

In order to walk humbly with God, I must focus on Him and His guidance found in His Word.

Pleasing God can seem like a big mystery waiting to be uncovered.  But really, God has laid it all out in His Word.  It is His desire that I treat other's fairly, delight in forgiving others, and rely on Him in all parts of my daily walk.  Instead of trying to impress God in the same way I try to please my parents or others, I should give His way a try!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will seek to please God in all my ways.

How do I try to impress God instead of pleasing Him?

When do I love my own sense of justice more than I love forgiving?