Six Ways You Can Please God

Prov. 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Every man has certain ways or characteristics about him, and those "ways" either please or displease the Lord. The promise of the text above makes it worthwhile to see that our ways please Him, because if we do, our enemies will be at peace with us. We should be occupied to please God with our lives. We are to see that our ways and characteristics are those that please Him.

John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Every deed and every act of the Saviour's life was to please God the Father. Could any of us honestly say this about our own lives??? It is my desire to challenge you to live in such a way that we will "please Him!!!" Here are six things from the Word of God that exhorts us to "please God."

1. Preach the Gospel - whenever and however you and I engage ourselves in preaching the Gospel, we are pleasing God. 1 Cor. 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
2. Have faith in God - Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Though the negative is stated, the opposite is implied - with faith we can please God. Faith honors God and God honors faith!!!
3. Preach the cross - We know it pleases God for us to preach the Gospel, but we may also please God by preaching the sufferings of the cross!!! It pleases God for us to report the agony, suffering, and shame that Jesus Christ endured on the cross to die for our sins. Isa. 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
4. Live in the Spirit - Rom. 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. We know that this negative statement is true, thus the positive side is also true. The flesh cannot please God, but a Christian who is yielded to the Holy Spirit in his life can certainly please God.
5. Believe on the name of Jesus Christ - 1 John 3:22-23 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. We are to keep on confessing Jesus publicly, having the name of Jesus constantly upon our lips. We are to tell the story of Jesus in every possible way.
6. Love one another - 1 John 3:22-23 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. It pleases God for His brethren to live together in peace and unity, controlled by the tie of love.

May it be our holy resolve to live so as to please God. Put aside from your life today anything or any attitude which clearly displeases God. Be able to say with Jesus, "I do always those things that please him."

Adapted from a sermon by Dr. Harold Sightler