The Bible says, "Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it." This runs against the grain of our usual tendencies. Yet when we make it a regular habit of trying to make God smile, we end up making a lot of other people smile to. Including us. At the core of this effort to God make smile is love and trust, which ought to seem kind of obvious - this is at the core of what makes the other people in our life smile.
Trusting is an act of worship. Just as parents are pleased when children trust their love and wisdom, your faith makes God happy. The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God."
As a parent, I know how pleasing it is when my children obey my requests without whining or ignoring me. I suppose the same thing goes for God, we make him smile when we do what he asks of us.
God doesn't owe you an explanation or reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can't. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding.
Maybe we underestimate the power of gratitude, but its encouraging to remember that God smiles when we are thankful towards Him. The more we notice the good that God does in us and through us and around us, the more our respect and awe will go up for Him, as well as our words of appreciation and approval. This is the kind of worship that makes God smile and us as well. It's win-win kind of worship!
It's also really cool to think that God smiles when we use our skills and abilities for Him. We often assume that the only things that really make God smile is doing spiritual stuff, but everything we do can be an opportunity to make God smile.
Right now my boys are laying on the kitchen floor coloring with markers. Levi and Isaac are filling in some Toy Story pages, and Eli is coloring his fingernails. It makes me smile, and it makes God smile!
More than just the little things that make God smile, he smiles when we accept who we are and live out of that.
You don't bring glory or pleasure to God by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. You only bring him enjoyment by being you. There are no unspiritual abilities, just misused ones. Start using yours for God's pleasure.
God even smiles when we enjoy his creation - our smiling at a sunrise or racing clouds or swaying trees or the licks of a puppy - this all is pleasing to Him. It doesn't take much to make God smile in terms of knowledge. It's really mostly about attitude: do we even want to make God smile?
Once we make that choice to please God, we'll find Him giving us even more reasons to clap our hands in glee. Not that this eliminates hardships and trials - but rather the strength and the determination to keep looking up, to keep getting up, to keep trusting and loving God with our hearts opened up.
What about you? What was challenging or encouraging to you in the reading today?
1 comment:
I would have to say I was more challeged in this reading to develop the strength and faith that god knows what is best for my life and allowing him to do so. I was also challenged to find the talents that he has given me and how to use them. I was encouraged by the fact that it is really the small, simple things that we do to that can make god smile and please him
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