1-11-2023
For many of us, January is a time when we reflect on our lives. We do some review of the past and we contemplate the future. And if you’re like so many people, it’s also a time when we question whether we’re fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives. Although often worded in different ways, most people have asked this question, “Why am I here?”
You may not know this, but the Bible is actually quite clear on why we’re here. You and I were created to worship and bring pleasure to God. Many people tend to think of worship as “the songs we sing in church”, or perhaps the experience of going to church itself. But worshiping and bring pleasure to God is so much bigger than the songs we sing and bigger than the hour or two we spend in church every week. Church services can be worship experiences, but worship actually takes place throughout our entire week – because God says worship isn’t what you do with your lips; it’s what you do with your life. You can sing the most beautiful songs about Jesus and about God and still not actually worship.
So let me give you 4 ways you can worship God and make Him smile:
1. You bring pleasure to God when you love Him above everything else. The two most important things in your walk with God are faithfulness and obedience. Notice I didn’t say the two easiest, I said the two most important. These two things let God know that you love Him.
2. You bring pleasure to God when you trust Him completely. You trust God completely when you recognize that He knows what’s best for your life. Proverbs 3 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5, NIV) When you do that, you begin to trust God for the impossible.
3. You bring pleasure to God when you obey Him wholeheartedly. You and I can’t earn God’s forgiveness by doing good deeds, but just like your parents smiled when you obeyed them, God smiles when we obey His commands. Obedience isn’t easy. There will be times when it’s inconvenient, even for those who have been Christians for decades. Obedience will cost you. But with obedience comes the smile of God.
4. You bring pleasure to God when you fulfill His purposes. Too many people think that the only time God is smiling on their lives is when they’re doing something religious. But nothing could be further from the truth. God smiles when we do what He created us to do. It’s like the words of the Olympic runner, Eric Liddell, who was the subject of the movie Chariots of Fire. He said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
So as you reflect on your life, reject the idea of being a “people pleaser” in this world and choose to be a God pleaser……or as I often say, “Choose to live your life for the approval of an audience of One – God Himself.”
I love you, church…….let’s put a smile on God’s face this week!!
Chuck