Pleasing God doesn’t sound very theological, does it? The fact of the matter is, though, that it is the very essence of our theology. We would probably all agree that we like to be pleased, but how about doing the things that please Jesus?
Our Lord said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Obedience to the Lord is pleasing to Him. In fact, the Bible tells us that when children obey their parents, God is pleased (as well as the parents!). Jesus said that He always did what pleased His Father. As Christians, we should aim for that mark also. Think of your daily routine. How much of the dry, repetitive, mundane duty would be made glorious if done wholeheartedly to please your Lord?
Actually, we are pleasing someone with all that we do. The important question is, ‘Who?’ Should we compromise our faith due to some kind of fear, that we subsequently please men? Should we ignore or refuse a direct command of Scripture to satisfy our carnal nature in order to please ourselves? “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” What we should do is submit completely and unquestionably to the Lord, that we may walk in a manner pleasing to Him. We must choose to please God continually, with our lips and our lives. However, it is impossible for us to please God without faith.
Pleasing Jesus is an act of the will. It is not a good feeling or a peaceful thought, but a deliberate choice to live, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the Lord each day. We will all fail at times. We may even be tempted to ‘throw in the towel.’ If, however, in spite of our failures and our feelings, we truly desire to please our Lord, He will make victory inevitable, “for it is God who works in (us) both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
