Wanna Please God?

There is only one way to please God and that is by: FAITH.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “For without faith it is impossible to please God.”  Let’s flip that statement around and look at it from a positive angle.  For with faith, it is possible to please God. God is pleased with those who have faith. God is only pleased by faith. He delights in it and those who exercise it.

God is not impressed with our self-referential achievements. He doesn’t respond to our religious posturing. He is not swayed by our relentless striving. He loves it when we  trust him.  That’s what faith is.  A loving trust in the living God that moves beyond the realm of ideas and into the essence of life.  Faith has to be lived to be real. It’s an everyday trust that shows itself throughout every aspect of life.  Faith is seen most clearly when it causes us to go against the grain of the way the rest of the world does things.  And that’s usually when our faith costs us.

When I worked for a software company many years ago, I was placed in charge of a project that had fallen way behind schedule.  I worked relentlessly to salvage the assignment.  That meant that I was working 7 days a week and 12 to 15 hours a day.  I was neglecting my young wife and baby.  The Lord began to convict me that I wasn’t honoring him and I wasn’t loving my family. So I began to put some boundaries in place.  My boss, whose bonus was tied into the project completion date, was not pleased with me.  In fact it ultimately cost me a significant promotion.  But, in honoring God and my family, my core relationships stayed healthy.  Oh, and God made it possible for us to complete the project on time to everyone’s surprise.

It’s interesting that throughout Hebrews 11, the ancients were commended for their faith. “For by faith the people of old received their commendation,” (Hebrews 11:2). God rewarded faith.  God responded to their trust in him. God recognized their actions as praiseworthy. He loved the cooperative trajectory of their lives.

And what did their faith consist of?  It wasn’t a perfect set of doctrines… It doesn’t say Abel was commended for understanding grace.  Or that Enoch was rewarded for defining the Trinity. Or that Noah received God’s approval for his spectacular theology.  I’m not against doctrine — I just want to see doctrine applied to life.   Essentially what the ancients were rewarded for was their relationship to the living God. They listened to him and believed what He told them.  They trusted what he said and they dared to believe that God would fulfill his promises to them.  Even when what He told them looked impossible and especially when they couldn’t figure it all out ahead of time.  Believing Him, they acted accordingly.

And isn’t that what faith is, really?  An active, tangible engagement with an invisible but real God.  In fact, Hebrews 11 is one of the most active and exciting chapters of the bible.  It’s all about trust with feet on it.  That’s my definition of faith.  Trust with feet on it.  Belief that acts in response to God.  Each of the heroes written about has responded to God with trust and enjoyed an incredible adventure with him.  Enough to write home about!

So how do you live by faith?  You begin by believing God exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). You study and listen to his word and allow it to shape your life.  You spend time with him in prayer listening to him and seeking his will for your life… and then doing what he says. Ask him to lead you through each decision you make during the day.  When you move from finishing one task, ask him about the next.  Watch him show up and lead you.  Trust that he will even when you can’t see him.  That’s what will please him and that’s what he will reward.