Living to Please God

What does it mean to "live to please God"? "By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away. For prior to his transformation he was approved, having pleased God." Hebrews 11:5 (HCSB) Of course, the Lord Jesus could say, "One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him." John 8:29 (HCSB).         

In the short time Paul had been with the Thessalonian believers, he had instructed them regarding ethical matters; how to live lives that please God (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2). They had 'received' (vs. 1; this is the Greek word paralambano, meaning to receive, identify with, or associate with) 'commands' (vs. 2; this is the Greek word paraggelia, meaning commands or orders) regarding how they should live in a way that pleased God. But consider this thought: Was this a list of do's and don'ts, or simply a guiding principle? I believe both are taught here.

The Apostle Paul proceeds to give them a list of ethical instructions (one of several he gave in his writings) in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-12. A new believer who knows little or nothing of God will need clear rules to follow in the beginning, much as a child does in infancy and throughout the toddler years. But with growth and maturity comes a desire to know the 'whys' of what we do and do not do. In addition, we come to desire a more intimate knowledge of the 'Who' behind the 'whys'. A growing believer's desire goes from simply being obedient to "living to please God".

We can be obedient and not desire to please God. Jonah is a prime example. He repented of running away from God and disobeying His command to go and preach to Nineveh. He then did what God commanded, but his heart was not in it. He did not wish the Ninevites to repent. In fact, he sat outside the city pouting because the people repented and found God's mercy! God could bless His Word, but He could not bless His servant. "Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart." Ephesians 6:6 (HCSB)

Here are some thoughts about 'Living to Please God'. First, it's a radical concept. How can we know and love Him, if we don't seek to please Him? It takes self out of the way and places Someone else first. It challenges the very reality of our profession. Am I really a follower of Christ? Am I seeking to please Him? Next, it's a flexible principle. It takes us off the 'list standard' and places us more under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The clear ethical commands of Scripture are a starting point, and the Spirit will never lead us to contradict the commands of Scripture regarding ethical matters. He will, however, lead us beyond rote obedience toward a love relationship. In fact, He will lead us back into the Scriptures where we become better acquainted with the One giving the commands. But notice the difference: we go from obeying to please the law-giver, to discerning our Shepherd's voice and following Him. Last, it's a progressive lifestyle. There is no arrival point. Living to please God is a continuing pursuit. We are summoned to please Him more and more (verse 1b). The stronger and more intimate the relationship, the greater the desire and effort to please Him.

So, what do we do with this? First, seek to obey God's commands. Next, seek a growing love relationship with the Lord. Finally, evaluate everything by this question: "Does this please God?"

BSFL Sunday School Commentary for the week of January 3, 2010

Wrestling with the Meaning of Life     Ecclesiastes 1:1-11;12:13-14

French Philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator made known through Jesus Christ." But how many times do we find ourselves trying to plug that hole with something that isn't shaped like God?

We all have responsibilities. The dog has to be walked. The electric bill has to be paid. The bedtime routine has to be accomplished. And after days and weeks and years of the same thing, we find ourselves feeling enslaved to the cycle of life. Our culture will tell us that the way to find true meaning is to abandon that cycle: Leave the family! Abandon the dog! Find yourself! But true meaning in life doesn’t come through abandoning those responsibilities; it comes in realizing that we can connect with God inside and even through that cycle. Without connecting with God, the cycle is monotonous and enslaving. But when we begin to connect with God, we start to see opportunity and meaning even in the small things.

My wife left on a trip today with our two youngest children. They are traveling about seven hours to her parents' home to visit with her sister, who is visiting from Japan. Don't laugh, but this was hard for me. We always take trips like that together. I have traveled many times alone with my career, driving and flying alone. But I have never watched Becky leave for a trip without me. Everything in our home reminds me of her. Everything there reflects her touch. For some reason I am acutely aware of it when she is gone. But everything still bears her mark when she is present. A basket of laundry, neatly folded and ready to be put away. An empty basket beside that one. The extra blanket she always uses on her side of the bed at night, neatly folded on the foot of the bed, which itself is made up neatly. Our kitchen table with chairs arranged around it. Even the empty space in the driveway where her truck is normally parked. All these (and many more) insignificant things take on new meaning because they remind me of her.

What if we lived our lives seeing everything as a reflection of God's touch? What if we realized that every moment has the potential of being a holy moment because God is there in the ordinary? Can we cook a meal at home for love of God, or mow the lawn for His pleasure? Can we do all things as an act of worship to Him and look for His hand and listen for His voice? Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that certain moments of life are reserved for God and certain ones are not. Sundays are for God (at least 2 hours in the morning), and maybe Wednesday nights. The rest is my time, right? The question is not whether He’s there all the time and everywhere; the question is how cognizant we want to be of His presence. Of how much of the void within us that Pascal referred to we are willing to fill with Him.

We have the choice this week of living consciously in God’s presence, or we can just go about our tasks and responsibilities and never recognize His presence. If we never acknowledge His presence, then as the writer of Ecclesiastes said, there will be nothing new under the sun. Or we can choose to simply acknowledge the presence of God in our ordinary lives. That’s when the ordinary starts to become extraordinary.