Please God
How do we please God? I think that is what they call a “big question”, a fundamental.
We please God by living his ways, acting as he would, doing as he requires of us.
Hands of Love By Nina Matthews from Sydney , Australia (LOVE) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
But that is all a bit abstract, this passage gives us some very practical pointers – ways in which we can be God’s hands of love.
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Service That Pleases God
13 Keep being concerned about each other as the Lord’s followers should.
2 Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it.
3 Remember the Lord’s people who are in jail and be concerned for them. Don’t forget those who are suffering, but imagine that you are there with them.
4 Have respect for marriage. Always be faithful to your partner, because God will punish anyone who is immoral or unfaithful in marriage.
5 Don’t fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us. 6 That should make you feel like saying,
“The Lord helps me!
Why should I be afraid
of what people
can do to me?”
7 Don’t forget about your leaders who taught you God’s message. Remember what kind of lives they lived and try to have faith like theirs.
8 Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
15 Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus. 16 But don’t forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God.
This is the opposite of pride. Not worrying always about ourselves, our status, our needs – but being concerned about each other.
Of course I care about others. Don’t I?
We are called to live out Gods ways by welcoming strangers; remember the suffering; have respect for our spouses if we have one; not love money, but be satisfied with what we have; remember our leaders. All very practical ways of showing our love and care, ways of honouring the other people in our lives – and also honouring and pleasing God.
Worshipping God is not just about singing hymns, praying and reading the bible… Worshipping him involves caring for those around us and sharing what we have. It’s a simple message, but one that sometimes gets lost.
We are called to think about others as we think about God. People that we already know in our lives, and those we don’t know yet.
What is God asking me to do?
Lord,
thank you
for all you give to me.
thank you for all the people in my life.
Help me to notice them,
to love them,
to care for them,
to share what I have,
to offer love and support;
to honour you
by honouring them
Pam's Perambulation 
Donald Miller pointed out that God doesn’t “need” us, but he created us to enjoy him, which is the most selfless thing an omnipotent being could do. And acts of worship don’t aid God in any way. They are nothing more than opportunities for us to show our love for him, just in case we want to. And if we do, that is wonderful. If we don’t, then as the quran says, there is no compulsion in religion.
Thanks for sharing that. It’s very true, and something we forget. But other people do need us – and if we treat them well as part of our offering to God and out love for him, its a win/win.
Agreed. There’s a saying I like, we should live God by loving his children, just as we would a human being.
Great quote!