Today’s Reading: Hebrews 11:1-10
Hebrews 11:6 — And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
God promises that we can please Him. The Bible clearly states that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith in what? Faith in who? Without faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and in Jesus’ work of salvation, we will never please God.
Romans 8:8 says, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” We must be in Christ to please God, and it is our faith in Christ and His finished work that places us in Christ and makes us acceptable to God. At salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. When we are in Christ and living by the power of the indwelling Spirit, we please God.
But why should we please God? Perhaps a better question would be, “Why would we not please God?" Jesus said that He always did what was pleasing to the Father (John 8:29). Was Jesus pleasing the Father to earn God’s favor or to be made acceptable to God? No. The Father had already declared, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
So, why did Jesus do everything that pleased the Father? Because Jesus was a beloved Son. God loved Jesus, and that love motivated Jesus to please the Father. And why should we please God? Because by faith in Christ, we are in Christ, accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), and loved. That divine love for us ought to be our motivation for pleasing God.
We do not please God for favor or acceptance because we already have favor (God’s grace) and we are already accepted in Christ. Love is the great motivator of the believer. Because I am loved, I can love you, forgive you, be patient with you, believe the best about you. Because of love, I can lay down my life for you. By faith that works by love, I can please God by doing His works of love here in this world.
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