How to Please God

Part 1

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

Without ‘faith’ it is impossible to please Him. With ‘faith’ it is possible to please Him. What is this ‘faith’?

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

The ‘faith’ spoken of here is an ‘assurance’ and a ‘conviction’. Now everyone has such faith, period! Let me give you an example. Will you sit down on a chair? If so, then you have ‘faith’ that the chair will not collapse under you. You trust the chair. You have an ‘assurance’ that the chair will hold your weight. You have a ‘conviction’ that the chair will not collapse under you. If you did not have such ‘faith’ in the chair, you would not sit on it. You HAVE ‘faith’; it is just ‘faith’ IN the chair.

Understand, then, that the Bible is talking about ‘faith’, ‘assurance’, and ‘conviction’ in God. It is ‘faith’ IN something, specifically, ‘faith’ in God. It is a ‘faith’ that results in confident action. If you have ‘faith’ in something, or someone, you rely on the object you have ‘faith’ in.

                                              

And without faith it is impossible to please Him. Hebrews 11:6a

How do you develop faith in God? Begin by asking Him for such faith. You have His attention all the time. There is a true sense in which faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8, John 6:65). Ask Him now. Why not?

Hebrews chapter 11 refers to many people of ‘faith’ who were commended for their faith in God (Hebrews 11:2). If you will review their lives by reading about them in the Bible, you will see that they had ‘faith’ in what God said to them. They received God’s words and had faith, assurance, conviction, in what God told them. They followed what God told them to do. They set their whole lives in the hands of God, for they had faith that God would not collapse under them. The Bible is filled with true history about such people.

We have a Bible that is considered to be God’s words to humanity. They are considered to be Holy Scripture (writing), and as accurate as if God breathed out the words Himself. When you say something, you do so by ‘breathing out’ your words. God considers the Scripture to be His words ‘breathed out’ to you. That is why the Bible is considered the Words of God.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16, 17

Take God’s words to heart. Put your faith in what He has said. With assurance and conviction, do what He says you should do. It will please God if you are ‘competent’ and ‘equipped for every good work. This will become a massive part of your relationship with God. He will reveal Himself to you. You will know Him better and better as the years turn into decades. You will come to treasure what He says (Psalm 119:1-176).

When you take God’s words to heart and do them, many questions will arise in your mind. Get answers, for they are available to those who seek Him. Having questions and seeking Him for answers is another massive part of your relationship with God.

If you don’t think seeking God is worth very much; He will notice. He will not be pleased, for you have no faith in your Creator. Consider: If you spent a lot of time and effort telling someone the truth about a life-and-death matter; and they ignore you or don’t believe you, would you be ‘pleased’? Of course not. If you go out of your way (at personal sacrifice) to tell someone the truth about their life; and they are apathetic or consider your words to be untrue, you write them off. Frankly, it is the same with God.

When you are ready to seek Him, He will begin rewarding you. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases toward those who have faith in Him.

The God who calls to us is an Infinite God. He is worthy of our worship. His ways are vast and marvelous and amazing. He is the most remarkable and interesting person you can ever meet.

About 2,000 years ago He became man also. Read what God says about Jesus Christ in the Bible. You can find these real histories in Matthew and John.

I will be posting more about ‘How to Please God’ in the coming weeks. If you can’t wait, then contact me now.