Who we live to please paints the portrait of our lives. There are three options. Some live to please themselves, some others, and some God.
Our sinful nature wires us to please ourselves first and love pleasure rather than God (2 Timothy 3:4). Christ didn’t live to please Himself (Romans 15:3).
Various factors influence some people to please others even at their own expense, but they find no joy. Only those born again by repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior receive a new nature (Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10) and please God first.
People pleasing can look like Christian service. It imitates self-sacrifice but has a selfish motivation, wanting others to like us and to fit in. Christ’s servants can’t be people-pleasers (Galatians 1:10). Paul’s goal was to please God, not people (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
Pleasing others finds its proper place when pleasing God is our highest priority. The must-please of people pleasers becomes love-motivated self-sacrifice for others’ temporal and eternal welfare. That includes the risk of displeasing by speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
What does pleasing God include? Let’s consider some Scriptures on pleasing God that explain it.
Obedience Pleases God
Knowing God’s will won’t please Him. Doing it does. Obeying God is essential to please Him (Deuteronomy 12:28).
He is merciful to those who listen to Him and keep all His commandments (Deuteronomy 13:18), decrees, and regulations (1 Kings 11:33).
Asa pleased God by removing foreign altars and pagan shrines, smashing sacred pillars, cutting down Asherah poles, and commanding the people of Judah to seek the Lord and obey His laws and commands (2 Chronicles 14:3–5).
Spirit-Controlled Godly Living Pleases God
Those controlled by their sinful nature can never please God (Romans 8:8).
Those whom the Spirit controls think about things that please God (Romans 8:5).
God gives us the desire and power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). The knowledge of what to do and the ability to do it comes from Him.
Godly people please Him (Psalm 16:3).
They keep their promises to Him (Ecclesiastes 5:4).
Those who try to honor God by their behavior please Him (Romans 14:6).
Hezekiah pleased the Lord by fairly distributing the people’s voluntary offerings, gifts, and the things that had been dedicated to the Lord to priests’ families, including food allotments (2 Chronicles 31:14ff).
Those who live a life of goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, pursue church harmony and build one another up please God (Romans 14:18–19).
Living a life filled with love and self-sacrifice is a pleasing aroma to God (Ephesians 5:2).
Children or grandchildren showing godliness at home by repaying their parents by taking care of them pleases God (1 Timothy 5:4).
God is pleased when His followers pray for all kinds of people and live peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified lives (1 Timothy 2:1–3).
Generous giving to support God’s workers is a sweet-smelling sacrifice that pleases God (Philippians 4:18).
God gives complete knowledge of his will, spiritual wisdom, and understanding to honor and please Him and produce every kind of good fruit (Colossians 1:9–10).
Believers who do good and patiently endure unjust treatment please God (1 Peter 2:19–20).
On the other hand, wickedness displeases God. He can’t tolerate the sins of the wicked (Psalm 5:4).
The bodies of the first generation of Israelites who left Egypt were scattered in the wilderness because of their wickedness (1 Corinthians 10:5).
Reconciling Sinners to Himself Pleases God
God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ and reconcile through Him everything for Himself by Christ’s blood on the cross (Colossians 1:19–20).
It pleased God to reveal His Son to Paul so he could proclaim the gospel of Jesus to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15–16).
Adopting us into His family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ gives God great pleasure (Ephesians 1:5).
Active Faith and Close Fellowship Please God
Faith that believes God exists and rewards those who sincerely seek Him pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).
Enoch lived in close fellowship with God his entire life, pleasing Him (Genesis 5:21–22, Hebrews 11:5).
Whole-Hearted Worship Pleases God
Pleasing God includes fearing Him and loving and serving Him with all our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 10:12).
Worshiping God with holy fear and awe pleases Him (Hebrews 12:28).
Solomon, Ahaz, and the people of Israel displeased God by worshipping idols (1 Kings 11:33, 2 Kings 16:3–4) and building pagan shrines (2 Kings 17:9).
Spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God (1 Peter 2:5) include bodies offered to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), money or material things for those in need (Philippians 4:18, Hebrews 13:16), offerings of praise to God (Hebrews 13:15), and doing good (Hebrews 13:16). See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians. #discipleshipresources #evangelismresources #christianleadershipresources
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