Seven Ways You Please the Lord
The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Find out what pleases the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:10), or as The Message translation puts it, ‘Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.’
Psalm 113:1-9
1. Praise the Lord
Praise is the appropriate response to God. He is worthy of all your praise. We teach our children to be thankful – not for our own sake but for theirs. human generosity. Continual praise is the appropriate response to God’s generosity.
The psalmist repeats over and over again that you should ‘praise the Lord’ (v.1). Praise him all day long: ‘From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets’ (v.3). Praise him throughout your life, ‘now and tomorrow and always’ (v.2, MSG). Praise him particularly for his love for the marginalised: the poor, the needy, and the barren (v.7–9).
2. Live in the light (Ephesians 5:8–14)
As Christians, we are called to be a community whose conduct shines as a beacon to others, illuminating the way that God intended life to be lived.
Light exposes evil. The best way to get rid of evil is to drag it into the light. Evil thrives in the darkness, but the moment you bring it into the light, its power diminishes.
3. Make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15–17)
Time is your most valuable possession. You can get more money but you cannot get more time.
Paul wrote, ‘Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil’ (vv.15–16).
4. Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18–20)
5. Submit to one another with love and respect (Ephesians 5:21–33)
The overall emphasis of the passage is on love. Although it is directed particularly at the husband, it would be absurd to suggest that the love is not mutual. Paul is saying that both love and submission are mutual. Love is self-giving; this is how a husband submits.
This kind of love is sanctifying (vv.26–27). It makes us holy. It makes us like Jesus. It is sensitive (vv.28–30).
6. Be humble (Isaiah 66:2b)
The Lord himself says, ‘these are the ones I esteem: those who are humble and contrite in spirit and tremble at my word’ (v.2b). ‘But there is something I’m looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say’ (v.2b, MSG).
This is another way to please the Lord. Through the constant study of, and submission to, his word, God keeps us humble and contrite. It is easy to become prideful until we fall on our knees before God and his word and see ourselves in the light of his truth.
7. Look forward to a world where everything pleases God (Isaiah 65:17 – 66:24)
Isaiah encouraged the people: ‘Be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create’ (65:18). God promises that he will create ‘new heavens and a new earth’ (v.17).
