How Can I Please God? Hebrews 11:6

We want to please God, but do we know how?

We ask just what does God want from us? Is there any way to know what pleases him and wins his approval? Are the answers hidden in cosmic mystery or is it so obvious we miss it?

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6, NIV*.

These words were written in the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews, and are a key to understanding the Bible.

PERSONAL FAITH

Faith is very personal and each person must come to their own terms with it no matter what religion or creed you practice, it is not something you inherit from your parents or are taught it in school. God requires faith not because he is vain, vague, or hidden but because his purpose is for a relationship with us.  Relationships require faith and trust, not rules and regulations. Without faith, there is no relationship with God.

Because: without faith...
     * God is only a judge to be feared
     * An arbitrary Father figure
     * Or a cosmic force
     * A vague mystery
     * A stranger.

FAITH GROWS
Faith need not be the great measure: Jesus endorsed even the smallest faith as being sufficient. If one feels their faith is weak or lacking they may consider the following suggestions.

     * We must pray and ask God to help our faith.
     * We must seek out the companionship of those who live lives focused on faith
     * We must seek God in his revelation of the Word the Bible and creation.
     * We must confess our lack of or weak faith.

THE EARNEST SEEKER

God promises to reward our faith, not just the faith that says there is a God who created the universe but the faith that believes that God wants to be known and found by the creatures he made. We must seek God; the Bible tells of Adam who sinned and hid from God but we must each correct that error and look for God. God promises to be found by us when we seek him earnestly, to be earnest is to be sincere, passionate, devoted to a cause, and it is to be personally persuaded even consumed by a pursuit.

If it is impossible to please God without faith then the other side of the coin must be that by faith we may please The Almighty. Faith says I will believe the promises of what you said without wavering, doubting or compromise.

To learn more about how to have a personal relationship with God follow this link: Click Here.

To read this verse in other translations follow this link: Online Parallel Bible.

© Adron 10/5/12

When it May Be Wrong To Go To Church - Ezekiel 14:1-4.

God Loves You

We think it is always good to go to church, but is there a time when the Bible suggests it is wrong?

"Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. then the word of the lord came to me"' Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with his great idolatry..." Ezekiel 14:1-4 NIV.

IDOLS
There are many kinds of idolatry but the worst and most deceptive is the idolatry of the heart. Idols misrepresent God, take His glory away, and are untrue in every respect. We think they are innocent but they mislead and guide us down wrong paths away from the very God we seek.

ORIGINS
There are many sources for heart dwelling idols. We can harbor some fantasy life in our imagination, or some bitterness clouds our vision of God. A past experience may stain our view of God. A wrong understanding of God may be caused by our parents, relationships, or contact with others who communicated the error to us.

It is questionable if any of us have a correct idea of the infinite, all powerful, all knowing, God of wonders and majesty. We are not capable of it since He is infinite and we are made of dust.

OUR HEART
There are times when our job, family, or retirement account may be an idol; but other well-meaning values may be exalted to idol statuses, such as ministry, denominational identity, or mission. We may harbor an idol by saying our style of worship is more acceptable than another's, or our standards of Christian conduct is more valid than another's.

An idol may force us to exclude a person from our church because of a culture or heritage or practice; even if the practice or culture is clearly defined as offensive to God once we make that doctrine and not God the standard we have become idolaters and are in danger of hearing Gods rebuke.

THE ONE TRUE GOD
God wants to be known correctly and it benefits us to know Him that way. We only know Him by His gracious revelation of Himself to us. Let's pray and ask God to show himself to us, (at least as much as we can handle). As we seek the truth of His revelation of Himself in honest humility we may come before Him in the confidence of acceptance and not fear His rebuke.

If we are not coming to the place of worship with an open and humble heart that honestly seeks to know and worship the Almighty we are deceiving ourselves and might just as well stay away.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  

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If you know someone who needs encouragement you should order a copy of my book of poems of comfort and hope. 

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(C) Adron 1/24/11

The Search of God, 1 Samuel 13:14

What kind of person is God looking for; is He looking for anybody at all, or someone special, and if so what kind of person?

"But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people because you have not kept the Lord's command." 1 Samuel 13:14 NIV.

These are the words of the prophet Samuel to King Saul when Saul presumed to take on the role of priest and offer the sacrifice. God reveals His mind; He seeks a man "after his own heart."

The word, "after" suggests one who is following, who is in step, and is pursuing after God.

BECAUSE
The word, because, leads us to God's reason. "Because you have not kept the Lord's command."  Obedience trumps zeal.  God wants your obedience,  He wants a person who learns His commands and follows them.  You would think God wanted someone who builds monuments, or cathedrals or set up some world-changing charity.  You would think God wants the smartest or most educated, or most talented that could sway people with elegant speech.  King Saul was many of these things: handsome, tall, a leader in battle, and charismatic; but they did not qualify him to fulfill God's greater purpose.

HEART
"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart."  How can we be after the heart of God?

     * First, we must seek the Lord; seek Him in Bible reading, prayer, meditation, and the fellowship of others who are also seeking Him.
     * We must obey the light we are given, when aware of evil in our lives we must turn and repent, when aware of a deed we should perform then we should act. (Remember God will never contradict His Word).
     * We should pray and ask the Lord to make us a man or woman after His own heart; it is a prayer God will gladly grant.
     * We must be willing to serve him wherever the calling. God is looking for one who is willing to be a leader not of multitudes but things like a first grade Sunday School Class or of the Ushers Committee or to be the Van Driver of a Meals on Wheels Ministry.  Not everyone can be generals some must be sergeants and privates, but even a private can be a hero and receive the medal of honor.

SEARCHING
God is searching, His eyes and heart rove the earth looking for a man or woman after "his own heart" for this generation.  He is looking for someone who is willing to obey and to patiently wait for His command.  Are you the one who is following, who is in step, and who is pursuing God? Indeed, if ever there was a time for the man or woman after God's own heart it is this time.

To be a man after God's own heart you must know him. If you feel you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord then click here to see my post about the Gospel.

(c) Adron 9/12/10

The Poet's Desire. Psalm 27:4

The ancient poet David wrote a prayer. It sought out his deepest well of inspiration and brightest source of insight and sums up all other prayers.

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 NIV.

David asked this “one thing,” his crucial goal above all others; the focus and purpose of all his being. Of all that we seek in life, this is primary, and many seek it without knowing it.

To “dwell” is to inhabit, reside, or stay in a place. He wanted to dwell with God, to live with God, making God his home. He wanted to stay and not drift away from God. One wonders what “house of the Lord” means since this psalm was written before Solomon built the temple. A house can be the people who are part of that house, and David wanted to be one of the people of God.

David wanted a permanent residence with God. He wanted God for “all the days of his life.” Not just during his prime or golden years but starting now and going on and on.

He was enthralled with God and said, “To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” To gaze is to fix your eyes on something, to look intently. It is like he wanted to be filled up with looking at God. He found the Lord to be beautiful, not a God of “thou shall not do this or that,” but a beautiful God. This is not the discovery of a casual acquaintance with God.

He wanted to go deep with God, to “seek Him in his temple.” He was not satisfied with what he knew of God; he wanted more, he dedicated himself to searching for God. He was not just opening his Bible for a few minutes in the odd leftovers of his day, but he was searching with commitment and discipline.

This poetic verse expresses a deep desire to know God. Here, David speaks in faith about things in the future as if they were visible, and by faith, we can find God, too. May this verse be our prayer, and let us remember it when we question the very purpose of life.

(c) Adron 6/30/10

The Need to Stop And Look. Psalm 105:4, NIV

We live in a time that is rich in resources and services so we tend to rely on social structures and our own strength to find answers and help in our needy lives. Still, we ask, “Where can we go for help?” We are so busy coping with life that we forget to look to the Author of Life

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” Psalm 105:4, NIV.

This may sound elementary to a life of faith, but so often we forget to simply look to the Lord. We must remind ourselves to look to the One who is Savior, friend, and master; we must remind ourselves to find His strength to live.

LOOK OR SEEK
To "look" and to "seek" are two different things. A look is instant; you look while being in one place, and are easily satisfied with seeing.

To seek is more. You may go from place to place and seek; it takes more time and commitment. To seek involves your heart and it is to dig deeper and go farther. Our relationship with Jesus is both of these things at different times.

SEEK HIS FACE
In our trials, we are to "Seek his face." We need to seek a deeper intimate walk with our Savior in good times and bad. We must strive to know him personally and face to face. our lives should be full of intimate communion with Jesus,

Look to the Lord and seek the Lord daily by:

Reading the Word of God, the Bible.
Prayer.
Being quiet before Him, letting Him speak to your heart.
Meditating on Him.
Worship.
Service.

ALWAYS
"Always" is continuous and every time. We must not tire of looking to and seeking the Lord.

Sometimes we only seek Him when a crisis presses on us and then we seek the Lord for that issue, or a fear hounds our thoughts or a temptation draws us away. In those times and in times of peace we need to seek the Lord.

We are never done seeking His face. Salvation by faith it is only the beginning. We need a lifestyle of knowing Jesus better and more intimately today than yesterday. Seeking Jesus is going to take time, require sacrifice, and choices. God rewards those who seek him persistently. We'll find depths to our Lord to celebrate, beauties we'll never tire of, and so much more to appreciate and love.

There will never be a time that the Lord is not relevant. Make looking to him and seeking his face a daily- even moment by moment habit.

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Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.

(c) Adron 2/24/10

Does any one really know why Jesus came, or what his purpose was? Luke 19:10.

There are many explanations and views of Jesus, but shouldn't we consider what he said about himself and his purpose?

The Bible records the purpose of Christ in his own words.

“For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10, NIV.

SON OF MAN

When Jesus calls himself the “Son of Man” he is humbly identifying with the common people of this lost world. The phrase “Son of Man,” says he is fully all of what man is. The problems of man are the problems dear to his heart too. This is an idea that goes beyond identity and empathy.

CAME

To say he “came” is to suggest he had a pre-existence. The Son of Man came to this world from someplace. Other scriptures make it clear Jesus said he was with the Father (God) in the beginning. He is saying his identity is one and the same as God. So we may know Jesus is God became man.

Luke 19:10

SEEK

To "seek" is to search diligently, to strive for something, and it may include a struggle. Jesus “seeks” the lost, and he sees each one of us. When we are far from him he looks for us. He doesn't just look from some cosmic telescope in the heavenly clouds but he becomes a man and walks our dusty roads and looks for the lost souls around every corner.

SAVE
Jesus came to seek but also to "save" the lost. Those who are lost face eternal darkness without hope unless Jesus saves them. To save something is to rescue it or to keep it from destruction. We need to be saved because of the punishment due to our sins.

LOST
We all are the "lost." We are searching for a way, searching for a purpose and meaning to our lives. We feel we are off the path that takes us to God. Mankind was the crown jewel of God’s creation but became lost because of Adam’s sin and our own sin. Jesus seeks those who will be saved. He does not force salvation on us but offers it. He searches for those of us who will respond and receive him.

To learn more about how to be found by Jesus see my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat 10/20/09