Though we know that it is the death of Jesus Christ that gave us access to God, there is still a need for us to continue living in the loving relationship we have with God, because every relationship requires some level of commitment to each party involved. The whole foundation of our salvation experience is rooted in our FAITH in Jesus, and as we study to please God, the first truth remains, Faith!
1. The Foundation: Faith
The New Testament is quite direct here: without faith, it’s impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). It’s not just about believing God exists. Every act of faith we practice must be underlined by our acceptance and loyalty to Jesus Christ. The only faith that pleases God is that which is resting on Jesus death and resurrection. God in Matthew 3:17 said “…this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”. God made it clear before all creation and characters that if any thing/person should please Him, then that thing/ person must go through Jesus Christ and follow in his likeness.
This is very important to us and to God, seeing that Matthew 3:17 was the only moment (recorded in the scripture) where God by himself, spoke audibly, publicly and in a clear tone and was heard and understood by all. God wants us not to miss this foundational truth that, What pleases Him is Jesus and everything under Jesus, this is why the Bible tells us “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Romans 5:1 KJV
2. The Greatest Commandment: Love
We can’t truly please if we don’t know what has be said. To understand how to please God, we must give attention to what he has to say to us. When Jesus was asked what mattered most, He didn’t point to a complex ritual. He simplified it into two actions:
- Love God: With all your heart, soul, and mind.
- Love others: As much as you love yourself. In the New Testament view, you can’t really do the first one without doing the second (1 John 4:20).
Jesus summarized into two, all the 10 commandments and all the total of 613 laws God ever given to man.
3. Living “Sacrificially”
In Romans 12:1, Paul suggests that the best “worship” isn’t singing a song, but offering your daily life as a living sacrifice. This means:
- Integrity: Doing the right thing when no one is watching.
- Renewal: Changing the way you think to align with grace rather than selfishness.
4. Caring for the “Least”
Jesus taught that what we do for the marginalized—the hungry, the stranger, the sick, or the prisoner—we are actually doing for Him (Matthew 25:40). God is depicted as being particularly “happy” when His followers look out for those the rest of the world ignores.
The teaching on “Giving” to those in need was even more emphasis by Jesus than tithing (though tithe is spiritually true).
Unfortunately, many people give their offerings, tithe, sponsor kingdom projects, but don’t show remorse or kindness to the needy around. Please have a rethought if you are one in this category.
5. Spiritual Fruit
Galatians 5 mentions the “Fruit of the Spirit.” Growing these traits is seen as the ultimate sign of a life that pleases God:
- Love, joy, and peace.
- Patience, kindness, and goodness.
- Faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This is usually the part that requires our conscious agreement with God. It is the place of God’s demand on us to show forth the good work of salvation and grace that he had started in our Spirit/ heart. The fruit of the Spirit is not supposed to be the demonstration of a new trait. It is supposed to be the manifestation of the evidences of if what has happened in our heart.
So by the HolySpirit given to us, we are supposed to show forth, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Conclusively, Pleasing God is not a lawful act we do alone. It begins with our faithful acceptance of Jesus death/resurrection for us, our daily yielding to the HolySpirit, to bearing fruits of transformation that is visible to men.
Prayer Point: Father in the name of Jesus Christ my Saviour, I receive the quickening of the HolySpirit to continue to yield to your word in pleasing you daily.
To partner/ support us, click HEREGodb
God bless you