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Our world is expanding with space travel and exploration, while telescopes reveal and magnify the growing number of galaxies in our universe. And people ask themselves the age-old question – “Why am I here?”
The Bible is very clear on why we’re here. “For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11 KJV).
Nothing you do matters more than bringing pleasure to God. There’s a much-misunderstood word we use that describes bringing pleasure to God: WORSHIP.
WORSHIP is so much bigger than the songs we sing. It’s bigger than our church services. We are called to worship throughout our entire week—not just on Sundays.
God says worship isn’t what you do with your lips;
it’s what you do with your life.
Romans 12:1 says, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (The Message).
With that as a good example of how to make God smile, here are four ways your life can make God smile.
1. You bring pleasure to God when you love him above everything else. “I don’t want your sacrifices—I want your love; I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me” (Hosea 6:6 TLB). God wants a relationship with you.
2. You bring pleasure to God when you trust him completely. “The Lord treasures the people who honor him, the people who wait for his faithful love” (Psalm 147:11 CEB).
You trust God completely when you recognize that he knows what’s best for your life. When you do that, you begin to trust God for the impossible.
3. You bring pleasure to God when you obey him wholeheartedly. “Here is what it means to love God. We love him by obeying his commands” (1 John 5:3 NIRV).
Obedience isn’t easy. It’ll be inconvenient. Obedience will cost you. But with obedience comes the smile of God.
4. You bring pleasure to God when you fulfill his purposes. “God richly gives us everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17 NCV).
Too many people think that the only time God is smiling on their lives is when they’re doing something religious. But nothing could be further from the truth. God isn’t just pleased with us as we study our Bibles, preach, or sing spiritual songs. God smiles when we eat a good meal. He smiles when we exercise. He smiles when we check-in on our friends. God smiles when we do what he created us to do.
It’s easy to get into a habit of pleasing people—your family, your friends, your church family, and others. But you really have only one person to please—your heavenly Father.
Do something today that will make God smile. He’ll be glad you did!
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