I WANT TO PLEASE GOD – WHERE DO I START?

SCRIPTURE:
“You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone 
who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he 
rewards those who sincerely look for him.”  
(Hebrews 11:6)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever been acquainted with someone who is difficult to please?
It can get pretty complicated, can’t it?
You want to have peace and harmony with the other person, 
but no matter what you do, 
there just seems to be no way of pleasing him or her.

Aren’t you glad that things aren’t that complicated with God?
In Romans, we are given a simple formula for pleasing God.
Faith is the foundation for pleasing Him; faith means we depend on God. 
God wants our dependence and not our independence.
When we are independent, 
we only feel a need for Him occasionally, or not at all.
The truth is, we need Him at all times.
After all, 
He is the One who controls our heartbeat and every breath we take.

Those two examples are reason enough to depend on Him, but there’s more.
We depend on Him to lift our spirits, to heal our hearts, 
to give us direction, to comfort us when we are hurting, etc.
No person has their sins forgiven, no person goes to heaven, 
no person has assurance of peace and happiness, 
until he or she has faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

In order to have a faith that pleases God, we must believe Him.
We have to believe every word we read in the Bible.
Some may feel that their faith is small and weak.
The father of the boy Jesus was about to heal 
realized the importance of faith.
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; 
help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
Rather than focusing on the size of our faith, 
we need to be concerned about the object of our faith.

ACTION:
In whom or what have you placed your faith?
Is your faith in Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God, Who died on the cross for your sins?
The Christian faith is dependent on faith in God.
Faith means you believe every word in the Bible and you never try to 
interpret any of it in a manner that allows you to seek your own desires.

God’s Word is available for every person to use for learning more about God, 
and as a reference guide for living as a child of His.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, 
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God 
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The more you read it, the more you discover how much you need God.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged 
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; 
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me instructions for pleasing You. 
Forgive me for not having a faith that depends on You. Help me to overcome 
my unbelief so that I can please You more. I pray that I will discover how 
Your abundant promises grow each day as a result of my increased faith. 
Help me to trust You more, and to be obedient to Your Words.”