Pleasing God
About Pleasing God, Being Taken Up, and Rewards
Do you ever think about pleasing God? Did you know that it’s possible to please God? It is, as Hebrews 11:5-6 points out.
“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 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 11:5-6).
Do those verses make you want to shout in praise of God? It does me.
God will either “take us up” when we die or we will be as Enoch and be taken up before we die at the Rapture of the church. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54)
How can we be assured God will take us up to heaven? We can be assured because we have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We will be rewarded with the glory of Christ’s presence in heaven.
Are you saved? Then shout hallelujah and ready yourself to meet Christ. He’ll be handing out rewards on the basis of what you did for His kingdom. (Luke 19:11-27)
If you’re not a follower of Jesus, seek Him. Why? God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Lord God, thank You for being a REWARDER of those who seek You. We give You praise.
Learn to seek God in prayer through Debbie’s book, Pray With Purpose, Live With Passion. Purchase your copy HERE.
When You Can’t Seem to Please Anyone
Do you ever feel like you can’t please anyone? Or at least, you can’t please someone you want to please; such as a co-worker, family member or friend.
Trying to please people who are difficult to please can cause us to feel defeated and drained. However, it helps if we place our primary focus on pleasing the One who is most important – our Heavenly Father. Jesus models doing that even when others were disappointed in Him. For instance, no doubt the disciples were disappointed when Jesus didn’t resist being crucified. Martha and Mary were disappointed when Jesus delayed coming to their sick brother’s side. Jesus explains His actions in John 8:29. “He (the Father) who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” No, we can’t always please others. But we can follow Christ’s example of pleasing our Heavenly Father. Following are ways Jesus pleased the Father. Which are you doing? Which might you begin to do?
- Jesus used Scripture to stand against Satan’s temptations. We can do that.
- Jesus shared His Father’s kingdom principles, how to be forgiven, and how to be saved. We can do that.
- Jesus reached out to people; to help them. We can do that.
- Jesus looked up in prayer and thanked His Father for hearing Him. We can do that.
- Jesus prayed before He made decisions. We can do that.
- Jesus followed His Father’s leading rather than doing things on His own initiative. We can do that.
Heavenly Father, as Jesus was PLEASING to You, help me be pleasing to You.
Looking for some more resources to deepen your relationship with God? Click HERE to check out the books and Bible studies written by Debbie. You can also access free online Bible studies by clicking HERE.
What Kind of Fragrance Are You?
Do you enjoy pleasant fragrances? Did you know that God does, too? Did you know you can be a pleasant fragrance to God? Ephesians 5:2 explains how we can be a sweet aroma. Paul writes, “…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
Christ’s sacrificial love and life were a fragrant aroma to God. In like manner, we can walk in love, sacrificially, and be a sweet aroma to God.
What if we haven’t been walking in sacrificial love, but rather been selfish or unloving? We can acknowledge our sin, repent, and be filled with the sweet Spirit of Christ.
When writing my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, I used my daughter’s puppy as an example of how we carry the fragrance of whatever we hold close to our hearts. Bailey, her puppy, had a distinct puppy odor. After holding her one day, I noticed her odor remained on me. It wasn’t pleasant so I showered and changed clothes. Just like a dog has an odor, so does sin. If we’re clinging to a “pet” sin or living for ourselves rather than sacrificially for God, He gets a whiff of our selfishness.
What can we do to rid ourselves of the unpleasant odor of sin? Change, as I changed my clothes. Put the sin aside. Bathe in God’s forgiveness and grace. Serve the Lord and you will be a sweet aroma to Him and others.
Christ Jesus, I praise You for walking in love and giving Yourself as an offering and sacrifice to God; a FRAGRANT AROMA. Help me to be a fragrance of You to God and others.
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