In my Bible there are numerous devotional readings thrown in throughout. I was reading one called “Entangled’ originally written in “Our daily bread”. Here it is –
Felipe Massa of Brazil should have won the Formula One Grand Prix in Singapore in September 2008. But as he drove off from the rebuilding stop while in the lead, the fuel hose was still attached. By the time his team removed the hose, he had lost so much time that he finished thirteenth.
The apostle Paul warned Timothy of another kind of attachment that would cause him defeat – “the affairs of civilian life” -2 Tim2:4. He urged Timothy not to let anything slow him down or distract him from the cause of his Lord and Master. There are many attractive things in our world that are so easy to get entangled with – hobbies, sports, TV, computer games. These may start off as “refueling” activities, but later they can take up so much of our time and thought that they interfere with the purpose for which God created us: to share the good news of Christ, serve Him with our gifts and bring glory to Him. Paul told Timothy why he ought not be entangled with this worlds affairs: So that he could please his heavenly Father. If your desire is to please the Lord Jesus, you will want to stay untangled from the world. As john reminds us “This world is fading away, along with everything people crave. But anyone who does what please God will live forever” 1 Jn 2:17
In the past couple years, I have been bombarded with ideas that I thought were crazy. Here I sit writing and talking about all sorts of stuff God puts on my heart. It’s almost like God has been reading the desires of my heart but granting them in weird ways.
The part of this reading I think that might easily get passed over is “Pleasing God”. This phrase is somewhat old-fashioned. We have graduated to more of a “please me” mindset over the past half century. Pleasing anyone else feels like it is somewhat taboo as the “you do you” and “live your truth” has taken over.
No one wants to be controlled by anyone but themselves. “My life, my rules”
In the devotion I read earlier, the racecar driver barged ahead with his own agenda against his team, his better judgement and the rules of the game. If he had stopped to “Please” or honor the journey he would have finished first place.
Pleasing God fell out of fashion to be replaced with … what… pride? Self-sufficiency? Autonomy? Independence?
God has a pretty strong view of pride – those verses are preached from pulpits pretty often. But what does God say about the Self-sufficiency, Autonomy, and Independence?
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace
There are many more verses on these topics but it appears that God is not too worried about your ninja skills in taking care of yourself. He seems more intent on instilling is us one calling – to please Him!
How hard is it to please God? Well, it says that without Him I can do nothing. I am me in all my glory only because He makes it so. I think most of us have been concerned at one time or another that if we only live to please God that we will not be happy. I think I have been worried that I will lose track of myself and what I want. I forget that He knows my heart more deeply than I have ever known myself. Think about that for just a second…
I have been worried that I will not achieve my life goals, or be able to do what I think I might want to do with my life if my sole focus if pleasing God. Does that sound as stupid as it looks when I write it here in my notes?
You don’t think God is intensely aware of what makes you tick? Remember how many times you changed your degree map in college because you changed your mind 5 times? Remember all the business ideas you had or tried to start to have them never get off the ground? You think he couldn’t possibly know what you want in a mate…..REALLY???? The more scenarios I write the dumber sounding it becomes.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. …
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
Does it sound like He wants you to be miserable? I am not seeing this in any of these verses or the other 100 I could have added. If pleasing Him means that I am on the fast track to getting the desires of my heart, I should be all in!!
I think some of us are worried our desires might change. Why is this so worrisome? Right now we have an idea of what it takes to keep us happy, and we don’t want to give that up – we don’t think that can change. It scares us to think it might change.
For most of us, we have gotten more grounded, more calm, less influenced by others or care what everyone thinks about us, we have found more balance and it feels good. If we can “Grow up” over time and this feels good, don’t you think that if pleasing God changes us, we will like it?
My desires have changed many times over the past 50 years. There are things I thought I needed back in my 20’s that I am so glad God did not grant… I would have hated it now!! There are things I said I would never do but God gave me a nudge or a burning desire and I knew I wanted to please Him and the task he asked stretched me but was absolutely life changing. If you take one nugget out of this whole thing, I hope it’s that pleasing God is the journey, not the end goal. You can take this day by day, seeking out His thoughts and diving into his word, living on the edge of your seat, in expectation of what you will encounter on this day because you’re looking to please HIM.
Do you trust Him? Do you think He can understand you better than you know yourself and lead you to a place that you never imagined? I know I have a dream that right now I think is what I want, but I am praying for His will to be done. My past experiences have taught me that when I try too hard and force things to happen, usually I hate what I get. The regrets have run deep at times.
Can you trust Him and live each day with no other goal than to please Him? If your desires change, can you grasp that you will have a new desire – One that excites you and draws you closer to Him. And then your desire can change again… as many times as God wills it… and you will be ok with it… if your intent is to please Him. Your peace will be beyond your understanding. I am a living testament to this. Whatever happens, I know that God is working, forming me, and blessing me with things that I do not know yet.
Challenge for you – can you let go of your ideas? Let him shape and form you and your desires and see what happens!