B2B: How to NOT Please God

As another post in the Back to Basics (B2B) blog series, nothing is more basic to our Christian walk than today’s topic. Though we’ve already covered love as our motivation to serve God and others, appropriating God’s Word as an offensive weapon and guidebook for life, developing a consistent habit of prayer as communication with our Commander-in-chief, overcoming evil–including the evil within us, outside of us, and the evil one–, and getting past our tendency to complain and criticize, today’s post will reveal the only way to truly please God.

In my Bible reading yesterday morning I read the parable Jesus told about the talents (Luke 19:11-27) and noticed this quote I had written in the margins. So good!

“The man with the one talent was immobilized by fear and feelings of inadequacy…His life was a frozen asset–frozen by fear of rejection by the master, fear of failure, fear of comparison to the other two who were making their investments, fear of taking a risk. He did what a lot of people with low self-esteem do–nothing, and that’s exactly what Satan wants for you as a Christian…” Healing for Damaged Emotions by David Seamands

I can’t help but wonder how many of us have the grasshopper faith of ten of the twelve spies that scoped out the new homeland God had promised them. They decided the giants were too big and powerful them (Numbers 13:1-33). Or do we have the faith of David, the shepherd-who-would-be-king, who single-handedly took on Goliath with this reply, a slingshot, and a handful of stones:

“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” ~1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NASB)

Truth: There is a way in which we can NEVER please God.

Please God – Live By Faith

“Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” ~Habbakuk 2:4 (NASB) (See also Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38.)

I think many of us relegate faith to a one-time decision to trust in God for our salvation. While trusting His grace for salvation is important, the Bible makes it clear that we are to “walk by faith” and “live by faith,” which implies a continuing action. It’s living out our profession of faith in our day-to-day actions.

This means always trusting God in each and every situation or circumstance, regardless of how bleak things may appear. It often means stepping out into the unknown, with just enough light for one more step. It means allowing God to handle things we have no control over. It means trusting Him with every aspect of our life on a second-by-second basis.

On the other hand, it also means not putting our trust in our own resources, mental capacity, and physical strength (which smacks of human pride, something God hates and wars against). This applies to us both as individuals and as members of the family of faith. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. ~ Zechariah 4:6 (NASB)

Please God – There’s No Other Way

Now for the real clincher. There is absolutely no way we can please the Lord unless we’re living and walking by faith as described above. But don’t take my word for it; take His.

And 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 seek Him. ~Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)

Father God, open our eyes to see the truth about walking and living by faith. Lord, our desire is to please You. Help us to trust You completely in each and every circumstance, no matter how daunting the task. And keep us–oh, Lord God, please keep us–from depending on ourselves and the things of this world rather than You. In the precious and all-powerful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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