WHAT PLEASES GOD THE MOST?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and
that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6)

MEDITATION:
If someone were to ask you,
    “What do you think pleases God the most?”
how would you answer them?

Would you say the answer is prayer?
This is how we communicate with God on a daily basis (hopefully it is
daily for everyone). We share our concerns with Him and praise Him
for the blessings He has given us. Prayer would be a good answer.

Would you say the answer is reading the Bible?
Certainly reading God’s Word on a daily basis is important (hopefully
it is daily for everyone). As we read His Word we discover more about
who God really is. We also discover a depth of love that we could never 
have imagined.

We see how He wants His children (believers) to live. We understand that
He sincerely wants the best for everyone. We know the things that upset
Him and how He responds to the waywardness of those who belong to Him.
It teaches us all about His plan for salvation and eternity. Reading the Bible
would be a good answer.

However, when we read the scriptures, we see in Hebrews that faith is what
pleases God above all else. Our life as a Christian is dependent on our faith.
Faith is the one thing that shows we believe there is a God we can trust.
Without faith,
    – our sins are not forgiven.
    – we cannot be assured of being in heaven when our earthly life ends.
    – we cannot be assured of a special kind of peace and happiness.
    – we would not spend time reading God’s Word.
    – we would not spend time with God in prayer.

In order to please God, we must believe that He exists, and we must
believe everything He says. We prove our faith when we spend time
with God in worship, prayer, and reading His Word. We show others
our faith is real by giving God top priority in our lives.

When lost people see the sincerity of our faith, it can arouse their curiosity
and cause them to want to know more about God and why we have a faith
in Him. When others see our efforts to spend time with God, they know He
is the most important One in our lives. God loves to see those who belong to
Him expressing their faith in many ways, wouldn’t you agree?

ACTION:
What about your own faith? Do you allow other things to take priority over
spending time alone with God, and worshipping Him with others? Where is
your faith directed? Is it in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died for your
sins? What would others say about your faith? Would they say that you are
a ‘part-time believer’, or someone who has ‘sold out’ to the Lord?

How do your words, actions, and good deeds express your faith to others?
Believers spend a lot of time with people who may disappoint them, show
little interest in them, hurt their feelings, reject them, are rude to them,
make them angry, fail to show them love, etc.

However, some of these same believers spend little time with the One who
loves them the most, is sincerely interested in their welfare, and will never
disappoint them. If you feel that your faith isn’t pleasing to God, then pray
and ask Him to help you increase your faith. Look for opportunities to show
others that your faith in God is real – this is a great way of being a witness
for Him.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for allowing other things to
have a higher priority than spending time with You. Help
me to set aside time each day for reading Your Word, and
praying. Increase my faith so I will be more pleasing to You
and my life will serve as a witness of my faith to others.”

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