PLEASING GOD
(week 44/13
OLUBI JOHNSON
Pleasing God is doing things that bring Him pleasure and joy.
Each person of the Godhead is a Person who has a mind, will (Rom. 8:27) and emotions (Heb. 10:38) and a form and shape (Jn.5:37).
We should relate to God, as a Person Who can be pleased or grieved and so should be sensitive to His feelings: always seeking to please Him and not grieve Him (Eph. 4:30).
For example, David and Solomon pleased God by the intents of their hearts: David deciding to build a temple for God and Solomon asking for wisdom to rule Israel properly.
2 Samuel 7:5-7 KJV: Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? (6) Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. (7) In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
1 Kings 3:9-13 KJV: Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? (10) And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. (11) And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; (12) Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. (13) And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
In fact, the purpose of our creation is to please God: to give Him fellowship and companionship that will bring pleasure and joy to His heart.
Revelation 4:11 KJV: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Furthermore, when we please God positions us to fulfill the fulness of our destiny: inheriting the Spirit without measure like the Lord Jesus; Enoch typifying the man-child company who were caught up or translated; and Joshua and Caleb who obtained their inheritance in the Promised Land, a type of the perfection and fulness of Christ.
Matthew 3:16-17 KJV: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (17) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Hebrews 11:5 KJV: By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Revelation 12:5 KJV: And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
1 Corinthians 10:5 KJV: But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Numbers 14:24 KJV: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Numbers 14:30 KJV: Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Also, when we please God, He makes even our enemies to be at peace with us: like He did for Mordecai through Haman (Esther 5:14-6:11).
It is instructive to note that the same power of God (2 Pet. 1:1-10) generated and released through prayer that we use to please God is simultaneously used to make our enemies to be at peace with us!
In our article next week, we will see in more detail how to please God.
