Genesis 29-30

Matthew 9:1-17

“And without faith it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6

Imagine the Christian life as a path and we hit a fork in the road. On one side, there is a sign pointing to the left that says, “The Road to Pleasing God” and on the other side, there is a sign pointing to the right that says, “The Road to Trusting God.” Since there is no third option, we contemplate which road to take. Trusting God sounds a bit passive while pleasing God sounds more vigorous, active and disciplined. In the end, we go down “The Road to Pleasing God.”

As we set off to please God, there are some texts that confirm we are on a good path. 2 Corinthians 5:9 says, “So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” Colossians 1:10 tells us, “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way.” And 1 Thessalonians 4:1 affirms, “…we instructed you how to live in order to please God…” Yet, before long, we start to ask the question: how do we please God?

We start reading the Bible, start praying more, start giving our tithes and offerings, start joining a Life Group, start serving in the church and eventually end up going on a short-term mission trip, or even better, decide to dedicate our whole life to become a full-time missionary. As we continue on this path, a growing anxiety builds up in our heart. There are two things that disturb us. Firstly, how do we actually know if we are pleasing God? Because, if we are like most people, we spend a lot of time thinking we are probably not. We do not go to bed at night and say, “I pleased God today. Hallelujah!” What we would probably say is, “I wanted to please God, but I am not really sure I did.” Secondly, where does the prerogative lie in all these things by which we want to please God?” Answer: it lies with us. From the whole catalogue of things that require us to act, there are voices in our head, like a mantra that says, “I should be more committed to God. I should pray more. I should care more. I should give more. I should serve more. I should work more. I should be a better person. I should… I should… I should…”

When we take a closer look at the sign “The Road to Pleasing God,” we notice underneath, it says, “also known as The Trying Hard Path.” May we understand that anything that draws our focus away from God—even our own efforts to please Him—is sin. 

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for the reminder that I can be so absorbed in doing things to please You. Help me to truly understand it means to please You with my life.