Tuesday: Pleasing God?
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 14th of January 2025
How could it be that the God of the universe takes delight in mere humans, fleeting blobs of protoplasm on one tiny planet amid what is probably an infinite universe? How could it be possible that humans could matter so much to the Supreme Being, who is all-powerful and who needs nothing? These questions can be parsed into two aspects. First, how could God Himself be delighted? Second, how could humans bring Him delight, particularly given our sinfulness? The first aspect of these questions is the topic for today and the second for tomorrow.
Read Isaiah 43:4; Psalms 149:4; and Proverbs 15:8-9. What do they tell us about God taking delight in His people?
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As we partially saw yesterday, God can be pleased by humans because God loves people in a way that takes account of their best interests, as would anyone who loved and cared for others.
Conversely, God is displeased by His people when they do evil. Indeed, Proverbs 15:8-9 teaches that, while the “sacrifice” and the “way” of the wicked are each an “abomination to the Lord,” the “prayer of the upright is His delight” and “He loves [the one] who follows righteousness” (NKJV). This passage shows not only that is God displeased by evil but also that He delights in goodness. It also puts divine delight and love in direct relationship with one another, showing the deep connection between God’s love and His delight, which appears throughout Scripture.
According to Psalms 146:8, “The Lord loves the righteous” (NKJV). 2 Corinthians 9:7 adds, “God loves a cheerful giver” (NKJV). Notice, first, what these texts do not say. They do not say that God loves only the righteous or that God loves only the cheerful giver. God loves everyone. Yet, for these texts to convey anything at all, they must mean that God loves the “righteous” and the “cheerful giver” in some special sense. What we have seen in Proverbs 15:8-9 provides the clue: God loves these and others in the sense of being pleased with them.
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Think about how closely tied heaven and earth must be that God, the Creator of the universe, can be so intimately involved, even emotionally, with us. What hope should this amazing idea give you, especially if you are going through a hard time? |
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In a marriage you either do things because you want to, or you have to! I vacuum the house and make the bed. There is no compulsion involved. We make jokes about it and sometimes I say that I am bullied into doing it, but that is just a bit or repartee that makes life interesting. The truth is that I do these things because I like doing things to please my wife and she likes doing things for me. Now our marriage is not perfect. I sometimes get lazy, or busy and get out of routine, but in the end, we have a working relationship built on pleasing and enjoying one another's company. And we have both learned that forgiveness and good humour are part of that relationship.
Marriage has been a good tutorial for me on this whole works/grace/pleasing God thing that we often argue about in our biblical discussions. I think back to the notion that if your marriage is based on a legal code and doing things that you have to do to retain it, then you have not really got a marriage. You have a business deal and not a very good one at that. Compassion, understanding, forgiveness and repentance all go into making a marriage work and those same qualities underscore our relationship with God too.
Paul puts it this way:
Wisdom from Winnie the Pooh:
Piglet: How do you spell love?
Winnie the Pooh: You dont spell love! You experience it!
How can humanity which is born in sin and shaped in iniquity please a righteous and just God? In the first instance, what does it mean to “please” God? In its own merits, humanity has no power or capacity to please God. However, through His mercies and grace, God has provided a way by which sinful humanity can be reconciled with Him and live a life that is acceptable and pleasing. Under no any illusion can human effort merit the love of God. No, any goodness is found in us. Nothing of our own can justify us before a righteous God. We are inherently filthy to the core, the Bible says (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, there is nothing good in us that can please God. So, what does pleasing God mean?
Pleasing God is rooted in God’s love and grace. To please God simply means walking in a relationship with Him which is based on God’s own goodness (love and grace). Only the goodness of God is good enough to please God. Only the goodness of God is perfect enough to please a righteous God. By imitating God (Jesus Christ) shall we be able to please God (Ephesians 5:1-2,1 Corinthians 10:31). God loves so much that He wants to impute His righteousness in us that we can be able to please Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We can achieve this level of “goodness” by faith. The Bible is absolute on this, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). In essence, please God is living a life of faith in Jesus. Abraham, a friend of God (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23) lived in faith.
It is truly pleasing to note that God has enabled us to live a life that is pleasing to Him. If we walk in the Spirit, we will please God (Galatians 5:16). The Holy Spirit will empower (transform) us to live a life pleasing to God (Galatians 5:22-23). We need to recognize that on our own we are incapable of pleasing God. We need to repent of our sins and surrender our lives to Him (Jesu) who is able to please God (Psalm 51:1).
“Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16).
How does God delight in his people?
God is pleased with his love and he loves righteous and the one who follows righteousness.
Sincere prayer is loved by God and God loves those who give with joy. God raises the fallen and God makes the blind wise. Sacrifice and the way of sinners is abominable to God.
But God loves everyone with his love (even the wicked)
What hope should this wonderful thought give you - even in a difficult situation?
Even if we seem to have fallen and lost in a difficult situation, if we return with repentance, God is trusted to lift us up and save us from the sins we have fallen into.
John 3:16 , Romans 5:8 , Psalm 86:15
The idea that God, the Creator of the universe, is intimately involved in our lives is deeply comforting. It reminds us that we are never forgotten, even in the vastness of creation. This brings hope during hard times, knowing that God sees us, cares for us, and delights in our efforts to live righteously and give cheerfully.
God’s constant love reassures us that our faithfulness matters and that we are never alone. His active presence offers guidance, strength, and comfort, inspiring trust and perseverance, even in the darkest moments.
While living on this fallen planet, I experience decay and suffering, but God is always ready to help me through them. He is the source of eternal happiness and contentment, so why wouldn't I pursue Him?
Our God sits high but He looks low and is intimately involved in the affairs of men. May we allow Him into our hearts so that
He may delight in us as He is wont to do!!!
I am reading Job right now,and I believe that God delighted in Job. He even commended him to Satan saying "Have you considered my servant Job... a blameless and upright man..." (Job 1:8). He was quite proud of him and I don't think Job let God down, even with all his questions.
I would like to restate Prov.15:8-9 to express an important aspect regarding God’s delight. God loves His children, but there is something man engages in which He cannot tolerate:
”Because the sacrifice of a wicked person is an abomination to the LORD, He cannot accept it. But the prayer of the upright is His delight. Because the way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, He cannot bless him. But He loves him who follows righteousness.”
This passage highlights a fundamental truth: it is the wickedness of humanity that stands as a barrier to receiving God's blessings. Yet, in His Grace and Forgiveness, God extends His love to all, even to the sinner. However, for the wicked to offer a 'sacrifice' acceptable to God, they must first come to their senses, repent, and turn from their wicked ways. Only then can their hearts be pure before Him.
Describing God as merely 'displeased' with wickedness falls short of the gravity of the matter. The act of the wicked - wickedness - is entirely void of God’s Spirit of Love. It is for this reason that God's plan to redeem humanity necessitates a complete reformation of the heavens and the earth, as described in 2 Peter 3:11-14.
This reformation prepares a dwelling place for righteousness. God, in His infinite wisdom, sent His Son to demonstrate what true righteousness looks like. Through Jesus, we see the Way of the Father and learn what is pleasing in His sight. His life serves as both a model and a call for us to walk in righteousness, aligning our heart with His Spirit, delighting in Him - because He delights in our/His Righteousness by faith.
Luke 3:22 A voice came from Heaven which said " you are my son in you I am well pleased" It's only through Jesus Christ we can please God not on own works or looks.
Thank you David. For those of us who struggle with not being good enough to please God, not loving enough, not kind enough, not obedient enough, etc., I take comfort in the scripture “The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake” Isaiah 42:21. And also, “To the praise and glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.”Ephesians 1:6
Michael, the Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags. That means that our best efforts, our best day, is garbage compared to the excellency of the righteousness of Christ. When we come to Christ just as we are, then the Holy Spirit works in us to change us as He is. Sanctification is a work of a lifetime my friend. Let's wear Christ's Robe of righteousness in such a manner that we don't want to soil it. Our acceptance, qualification for salvation, and righteousness come from Christ. What He imputes, He imparts! Be blessed today!