Our text for this week is Ephesians 5:10:
This simple statement encompasses the highest and most noble purpose of man. There is nothing we can ever do that is more important, more powerful, more fruitful, and have a longer lasting impact on the world, than living our life so we please the Lord.
There is a reason we are called human “beings” rather than human “doings.” Our highest calling is to be like Christ—not just do things for Him. Therefore the highest, most important devotion should be to be more like Him each day. What we become is more important than what we have done.
The greatest human achievements are like the leaves on a tree. They may become brilliant for a little while in the fall, and then they fall to the earth and disappear. A few people may continue to read about your achievements and be inspired by them, which is good, but just one moment of touching the heart of God Almighty is worth much more than that.
Many people spend their days contemplating how they can do something that will win them the recognition of someone they respect or love. Think about this—we can actually please the Creator of the Universe—we can touch Him, moving Him emotionally. What in this universe could be better than that? If we get satisfaction out of pleasing our boss or spouse, this is good, but think how much better it will be to hear on that great judgment day—“Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV) I have heard those who have received a gold medal at the Olympics say that there is no experience they have ever had like standing on that podium to receive their medal and hear their national anthem played. But to hear God Almighty honor you on judgment day will be far better than any human honor could ever be.
What are the things that please the Lord? As stated, obviously the first is to be changed into the image of His Son. Jesus encompasses all of the things that the Father loves. There is nothing in creation that has pleased Him more than His Son, and the more we are like Christ the more we will be pleasing to God.
In Colossians 1:9-10 we are also told, “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects….” This sums up what should be the compelling drive of our life—to be filled with the knowledge of His will, and to walk in a manner that pleases Him in all respects.
Such a devotion will also lead to the most fulfilling, satisfying, and fruitful life that we could ever live as well. We were known by Him and created in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. We are here with a specific purpose. The successful life is summed up in finding His will and doing it. That is the true measure of greatness.
So how do we find this out? We are told in I Thessalonians 4:1: “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.” To put it simply we find this out in the Bible. The instructions in Paul’s letters are filled with the answer. One who is truly in pursuit of a life that pleases God will have a passion for the Scriptures, always seeking to learn more about God, His ways, and what pleases Him. I have never known a truly godly person who was not also a devoted, daily, reader of the Scriptures.
In Hebrews 11:6 we are given further insight into what pleases the Lord: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” So we know that faith pleases God. We should all therefore be in pursuit of growing in faith. To do this we must learn to live in a way that constantly pushes beyond our comfort levels. This is in fact one of the most difficult things for most people to do. However, it is essential for us to grow in faith.
When the Lord used the metaphor that compared us to sheep it is because in many ways people are like sheep. Most people are followers instead of leaders. Sheep are also one of the most timid animals. They are so timid that they will destroy a pasture, eating the grass down to the roots rather than voluntarily going to a greener pasture on their own. They resist change that much! So do most people. This is one of the primary reasons why churches become so dry and lifeless—the people will resist change so much that it takes a pastor with superhuman strength, vision, and fortitude to keep them moving to new, green pastures where there is life.
Such a willingness to press beyond the present into the new is a level of faith that in some ways may be greater than any other. In fact, as Dr. R.T. Kendall has noted in his great book “Believing God,” it seems that the only common denominator of those who are listed in Hebrews 11 as the heroes of the faith is they all did something that no one had done before. It certainly takes great faith to press beyond the present limits of our time.
Hebrews 11:6 gives us the key to a life that is fresh, teaching us how to move to green pastures. To come to God we must believe that He IS, not that He WAS, or WILL BE, but that He IS! This means we must know Him in the present, not just in the past, or the future. Therefore, when we seek His will in the Scriptures we are not just seeking to know the stories of how He related to men in the past, but we are seeking the knowledge and inspiration to develop our own relationship with Him. We are not just seeking to hear the words of the Lord, but to hear the Word Himself. As we are told in John 10:4, “…the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
This is why we are told that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Note that this does not say we live by the words that “proceeded” from the mouth of God, past tense, but rather we live by the words that “proceeds,” present tense. It is good to know how God has related to men, and it is good to remember the experiences that we have had with Him, but we do not live there—we live in the present. That is the basis of a life that pleases Him.