What does it take to please God? The Bible tells us how we can please God and the answer to this question is not hard to find. We as human beings have the idea that God is too demanding; that what He requires of us is beyond our ability. The secular world views Christianity as having too many rules, and God as being the big party-pooper in the sky. Granted the Old Testament is loaded with regulations that God handed down to Israel for them to follow, but the purpose for that was not to hamper the lives of the people. They were given in order to draw the people closer to God in relationship, which would result in enriched lives. But we like Israel, tend to make life with God way more difficult than He ever intended it to be. Pleasing God is not about being able to follow the rules!
So, what does it take to please God? The answer to that is quite simple, FAITH. It is all that He asks, all He desires, and all that He requires. The Bible tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).[1] But why is faith so important? Because faith in God requires us to acknowledge His existence (v.6) and that is the first step in pleasing Him, and the object of our faith is Jesus Christ. It is only through faith in Jesus that we are saved (John 3:16-18), we are justified (Romans 5:1), and made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
The reason we find it so hard to please God is because we like to place our faith and trust in ourselves and our own abilities. We do not want to relinquish control over our own lives and give them over to another being. Yet, the thing we fail to realize is that, like it or not, we are not in control anyway. God is sovereign and His control over the universe cannot be removed from Him.
To conclude, faith in Christ is the only way to please God. With that being known, let me ask this question. What do you think is the most displeasing thing to God, and why? You already know the answer to the first part of the question is not placing your faith in Christ. The why to that question is answered in John 3:16, “for God so Loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” That Son was given as a ransom for our sin debt, He was given so that we could enjoy spiritual liberty and have a relationship with the Father. So, if we are not placing our faith in Christ, we reject God’s Love and the sacrifice of His Son. That is the most displeasing thing to God because those who do not have faith doom themselves and God wishes that no one perishes (2 Peter 3:9) in a place that was never designed for them (Matt. 25:41).
Blessings,
Pat
[1] All biblical quotations taken from the ESV, unless otherwise noted