Numbers 6:25
Psalm 119:135
The smile of God should be the goal of our lives.
Given that pleasing God is the first purpose of my life,
my most important task is to discover how to do that.
“Figure out what will
please Christ, and then do it.”
A classic example of a life that gave pleasure to God is
Noah. In the era of Noah, it was a morally corrupt world. Every man to his own
way, not interested in the things of God, there was not one on earth that
pleased God and this grieved Him and caused Him to regret making man. God was
so disgusted with the human race, He considered wiping us off the face of the
earth. But there was one man to whom his heart was aligned with that of God,
and he was Noah. Because of Noah, you and I are live today. From Noah’s life
there are five acts of worship we can learn that makes God smile.
God smiles when we
love Him supremely. Noah loved God more than anything else in the world,
even when no one else did! His entire life was consistent with the will of God.
This is what God wants most from me: a relationship with Him. God loves me and
He desires my live in return. He longs for me to spend time with Him and this
is WHY learning to love Him and to be lived by Him should be the greatest
objective of my life!
“Love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
God smiles when we
completely trust Him. Noah please God by trusting in Him when it didn’t
make sense. Just imagine, God told Noah to build an ark that will save not only
he and his family, but the animals. Three reasons Noah had to not believe were:
Firstly, Noah had never seen rain, because prior to the Flood, God irrigated
the earth from the ground up. Secondly, Noah lived hundreds of miles from the
nearest ocean, even if he built the ship, where would he get the water?
Thirdly, there was the problem of rounding up the animals and caring for them.
But Noah did not complain or make excuses, he trusted God completely; and that
made God smile.
Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows
what is best for your life. You expect God to keep His promises, help you with
problems and do the impossible when necessary. Yes, I have seen God do wonders
in my life and I can testify of so many instances where He has. My God is
faithful, He is good and He is always by my side. He takes pleasure in that
honour Him and He rewards and honours them in return for their faithfulness to
Him.
It too Noah 120 years to build the ark. One can only imagine
the discouragements and criticism he must have faced; but he kept trusting in
God.
What areas of my life do I need to trust God completely?
Trusting God is an act of worship.
God smiles when we
abbey Him wholeheartedly. Saving the animal population from a worldwide
flood required great attention to logistics and details. Everything had to be
done just as God prescribed it. God gave specific instructions to Noah as to
how to build the ark; the shape, size, materials and the numbers of animals
brought on board.
Trusting God completely means having faith
that He knows what is best for my life
Noah obeyed God completely and exactly, and that is
wholeheartedness. It is no wonder God smiled on him. God doesn’t owe me an
explanation when He asks me to do something for Him. instant obedience teaches
more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. I will never understand
some commands until I obey them first; obedience unlocks understanding.
Disobedience and hesitation only delays God’s plan for my
life. Delayed obedience is disobedience, and parents would know that. one
cannot choose commands to obey and ignore that ones we think are unreasonable,
difficult, expensive or unpopular. Attending church but not giving your tithes.
Reading the Bible about forgiveness and not forgiving others. Partial
obedience, yet disobedience. Wholeheartedly is obedience done joyfully with
enthusiasim. Obedience is pleasing to God because it proves your love for Him.
God smiles when we
praise and thank Him continually. God smiles when we express our adoration
and gratitude to Him. Noah’s life brough pleasure to God because he lived with
a heart of praise and thanksgiving. We praise God for who He is and what He has
done for us. When we offer praises and thankgiving to God, our hearts are
filled with joy that no man can understand. That though we may be faced with pressure,
difficulty and stress we shave God’s peace within our hearts.
God smiles when we
use our abilities. It is time to get on with with life! Do the things we
were created to do! We often think that the only time God is pleased with us is
when we are doing “spiritual” activities like reading the Bible, attending
church, praying or sharing our faith and that God us “unconcerned” with the
other parts of our lives. But the truth is EVERY human activity, EXCEPT sin can
be done for God’s pleasure if you do it with the right attitude of praise. For
example, washing dishes, selling a product, writing a computer program,
gardening, repairing a machine, all
these can be done for the glory of God. we are all gifted by God to use them
for God’s honour and glory. These abilities can bring a smile to God’s face.
Hiding our abilities bring nothing to ourselves or to God, rejecting any part
of yourself is similar to rejecting the wisdom and sovereignty of God creating
you.
God watches every detail of your life
God looks at the attitude of the heart. Am I pleasing God
with my deepest desire? Will I make pleasing God a goal of my life? There is
nothing that God won’t do for the person totally absorbed with this goal. There
is nothing to lose with God, each day with Him is an adventure! Life does not
get boring with God! He is the creator and each day He reveals new truths unto
a heart that desires to know Him more.
Point to ponder: God smiles when I trust Him
Verse: Psalm 147:11
Question to Consider: since God knows what is best, in
what areas of my life do I need to trust Him most?
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