LIVING LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD

Studying the Bible

1st Samuel 16:7

WELCOME to out today’s topic. To-day we are going to explore the type of character that pleases God. The type of behavior that can also be appreciated by members of our community.

Our Lord God Almighty does not look at a person the way man does, outlook appearance, but He sees inside the heart. With God, no person can ever mock Him. (Galatians 6:7). Our character therefore should be genuine. Our quotation reads as follows: “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

When people judge by outward appearance, they may overlook quality individuals who lack the particular physical qualities, which society admires. Truly, appearance does not reveal what people are really like or what their true value is. Fortunately, God judges by faith and true character, and not by appearances. Because God can see the inner side of a person, he judges people accurately. Instead of spending hours each week maintaining our outward appearances, we should spend more hours to perfect or develop our inner character. In most a cases, it is only God and I will know the true colour of my heart, what my heart looks like. At the end of the day, it will be God to approve or disapprove the colour of my heart.it is also impossible to please God without faith (Heavens 11:6).

In order to please God with our character, we should express our love for God, our deepest love for the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The creator of the heavens and the earth. What is seen and what is not seen. He is God the Most High. It is written in Deuteronomy 30:16 thus: “For I command you this day to love the Lord your God, and to keep his commands, decrees and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.” This is the starting point in living a life that pleases God. To recognize the existence of God of Israel and be faithful by praying to the Lord, ask for our needs and remember that God loved us first (John3:16)

It is written in 1st Thess 4:1, as follows:- “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more”. It is required by the decree of God Almighty that we should lead a holy life. (Levit11:44). To be holy is the commandment from God. It is written in the Book of the Acts 15:20, thus; “instead we should write to them telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood”. We learn from this scripture that worshipping idols is very unholy. We cannot serve two masters, we can love another and hate the other. (Matthew6:24). We are only supposed to serve our true God of Israel. Our God is a jealous God (Psalm78:58). He does not take very kindly to persons who worship idols.

In the book of Matthew 15:19, the Bible says: “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander. (20) These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you’’. As believers, we should be careful to say and do what is pleasing before the Lord. Positive thinking is what will make us holy before the Lord.

We should not entertain lust desires. This is a serious problem for most people. They entertain serious desire for bodily appetite or sexual desires. The eagerness to commit sin. And usually see nothing wrong with it. Believers should avoid such behaviors. With such behaviors, you become unholy. A believer should not hold to bitterness and jealousy. Instead we should have a pure heart. Free from guilt of any wrong doing. A pure heart, controls how a person thinks, and will quickly discard thoughts of evil nature. A pure heart, throws out selfish ambitions. Instead, engages in consideration for other people. The welfare of other people is put in the right perspective. It is like the saying of “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. (Mark12:31). As said before, it must be repeated again. All unspiritual thoughts and desires must be immediately discarded. It is unspiritual thought that sends us to sin. And sin separates us from God. (Isaiah59:1-2). In other words, we should avoid any kind of evil thoughts.

To live a life that pleases God, we should live a peaceful life. Not a life of disorder. (Matthew 5:9). It is written in this chapter that “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”. Peaceful living in a life of a Christian is very important. Peace is one of the attributes of God. It is the character of God and not war. Anything that disturbs peace does not come from God. In marriage, peace must be upheld at all costs. God Almighty, blesses a marriage that observes peaceful living. Where there is peace, there is the Holy Spirit. Peace must be at a work place. Co-workers must at all times do their best to keep the peace. We are encouraged to live in peace with each other; (Mark 9:50). It must be in our prayer always that the Lord God Almighty will guide us to the path of peace. (Luke 1:79). In the book of 1st Corinth 14:33, the Bible says: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people”. The emphasis here is that believers in God, as holy people should always live in total peace. It is said that blessed are the peacemakers, they plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:17-18). There must be peace in our churches.

Living a life that pleases God, is to live a life that shows mercy. To be of loving kindness to all the people of the world. It is a matter of acting locally and thinking globally. Let us start with relatives who are in need. (Isaiah 58:7-10). To assist the needy is the duty of every believer who can afford. To run away from assisting the poor is to run away from the blessing of God. Promises for those who help the poor, are in abundance. In Psalm 41:1-3, the Bible reads: “Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.” What an opportunity we have to get such a blessing from our Lord God Almighty, the Most High. There is a great blessing in helping the poor. It is a duty which must never be neglected. Those with the habit of giving, do not run out of the resources. Let us therefore offer our services where we can.

To live a life that pleases God is to learn to praise and worship God at all times. To be thankful to our Lord God Almighty, for the blessings we continue to receive from Him. A heart that says “thank you” is a good heart. It is a polite and humble heart. To refuse to gossip or harm our neighbors and refuse to speak evil of our friends. To despise flagrant sinners and see it a duty to honor the faithful followers of the Lord and keep their promises even when it hurts. They should not be in a habit of lending money without charging interest. Those who live a life to please God, will never accept a bribe, to lie about innocent people. They will stand firm on truth. (Psalm 15:1-5).

Integrity is the word for those who want to live pleasing God.

A person who lives to please God, must have a sincere heart. To be sincere is to have a pure heart. Free from hypocrisy. To be frank and up right. To be sincere is to be whole and genuine. To be honest. To be free from blame. People who are sincere, exercise impartiality. No sign of favoritism. It is written in the book of ACTS 2:46 thus: “every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and sincere hearts”. There was oneness in everything that they did together as members of the early Church.

Sincere people are very helpful to others.

Those who want to live a life that pleases God, must love God. This is written in the book of Matthew 22:37, thus: “you must love the Lord your God, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind”. To love God is to preach the word of God, to all nations. To announce Jesus Christ to humanity. To love God is to find time to read the Bible every day. In the Bible is where the Lord God Almighty and His Son, Christ Jesus are revealed. The greatness, the glory and holiness of God are all defined in the Bible. The great miracles and wonders of the world as performed by the Lord God Almighty and His Son, Christ Jesus are all recorded in the Bible. They are all written to: Teach us what is true and for rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 2nd Timothy 3:16. The word of God is God breathed. It is inspired by God. It is therefore holy.

The whole Bible is God’s inspired word. It is trust worthy. People who live to please God must find time to read the Bible. It is to equip us to do good. We should not study God’s word, simply to increase knowledge, but rather to follow instructions and obey the commandments of God. That way we shall live a life that pleases God.

As we love God in every manner, we must remember that it was God who loved us first. And for those who love Him, He has promised what is written in Deuteronomy 7:9, thus: “Know therefore that the Lord your God – is God, he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.” This is perhaps the most outstanding of the promises of God for those who love Him. It is the greatest gift God can give to man, that is His love. If God loves you, better things of life will be experienced by your generation that will come after you. If God is for you, no one can be against you (Romans 8:31). This is about living a life that pleases God, a faithful life. We should pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness (1st Timothy 6:11). We must turn away from wrong doing. Then we shall really live a life that pleases God.

May the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, provide protection to our Republican President and continue to pour peace and love at our nation Zambia. Amen.