What Pleases the Lord?
So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.
Romans 12:1
“Sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service,” this is what the verse above says about pleasing God, and that this is true worship. The Lord changes us to where we are motivated to serve him, which means we give him priority because our hearts know that serving the Lord is the most important and fulfilling thing we do as a Christian.
God is constantly molding us to live in the image he created us to be — the image of Jesus. But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) God is molding us to the mind of Christ so our life will conform to the life of Jesus. Just as Jesus was motivated to serve the Father, we are created to be motivated to serve Christ. When we read the word, notice the words of Jesus about his relationship to the Father. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. (John 8:29)
Jesus always did what pleased the Father and if we see what Jesus did in his ministry, it will guide our life to please Christ. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17) The Father is always working meaning he is active in the souls of this world. We work by serving the Lord guided by the Holy Spirit, putting Christ first in our lives just as Jesus put the Father first in his life.
Jesus therefore said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me,” (John 8:28) This verse implies that Jesus spoke what the Father taught him and did nothing on his own initiative. We depend on Christ through the Holy Spirit for our ministry, the words we use and ministry he has called us to do. If we pray, the Lord will open doors to the ministry he has called for us. When the Lord puts something on our hearts, we pray for his guidance. The Lord is pleased when we put him first in our lives, motivated to serve him with a heart of love, and if we depend on his guidance through every step. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
Today, seek to be pleasing the Lord with your thoughts, words, and actions. Be still inside and listen for his guidance from the Spirit. Depend on the Lord just as Jesus depended on the Father.
Prayer: Lord, I pray that today I will be pleasing to you, as I serve you and depend on you. Help me to remain in prayer and to hear your divine words through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen