Pleasing God

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:5, 6)

It should be evident that the goal of every Christian is to please God, although many live as though it were God's sole task to please them. They would still tell you, however, that they wish to please Him.

Scripture tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and we are then given the two things that our faith must embrace. First, we must believe that God is - that He exists. Secondly, we must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Let's examine these two beliefs so that we can better understand what is necessary to please our heavenly Father.

Believing that God exists is the simplest part of the equation. We are told by the Psalmist David that only the fool says there is no God. So, unless we are utter fools, it is easy to understand that there is a Creator Who has made, and controls, all things. The intricacy and vastness of His creation testifies of His existence and His magnificence. Even the devil believes that God exists, and trembles in fear of Him. Therefore, believing in God alone is not sufficient to please Him, although it is a very necessary first step.

The real meat of the matter lies in the second belief that we must have if we want to please God. This is the belief that God rewards those who seek Him diligently. The Greek word that is used in the original text and is translated "diligently" means to "search for, seek out for one's self, enquire, investigate, and crave." This would imply that those who simply attend church, listen to the sermon, and live as they please the rest of the week, are not pleasing God. God will reward us if we seek Him, if we search for Him, if we crave Him. Jesus told His followers that if they would seek, they would find; if they would ask, they would receive; and if they would knock, doors would open to them.

We can only please God if we know Him. It is no different than buying a gift for a loved one. You can't buy her what she truly wants, and what will really please her, until you spend time to get to know her. Once you know her, then you know what it is that will please her. This is why Enoch is used as an example in the Bible of one who pleased God. What was it that Enoch did that was so phenomenal and noteworthy as to be set up as a model for us of pleasing the Maker? Simply this: he walked with God. "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:24)

Walking with God is such a picture of intimacy. As they walked, they talked; and as they talked, the heart of each was revealed to the other. Enoch shared his hopes and fears with His Lord, and God shared His truth and His plan with Enoch. We often think of God as One Who is hiding behind some veil, or obscured within some fog, and we cannot understand or know Him in an intimate way; but nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, the veil has been ripped away by God Himself so that we can come to know Him.

When God commanded Moses to erect the tabernacle in the wilderness, and later, when Solomon's temple was built, He directed that a veil be placed between the Holy Place and the Holiest of Holies. The priests were allowed to enter the Holy Place on a routine basis, but the Holiest was a place that only the High Priest could enter once a year. This was the place of God's holy presence. If a man would enter behind the veil any other time, he would immediately fall down dead. When Jesus was crucified, however, the veil was torn from top to bottom signifying that God Himself had torn down the barrier that separated man from Himself. He was now accessible to every man who would wish to know Him.

Faith is the key that unlocks all of God's promises to us, and without it, pleasing God is an impossibility. Faith, however, without works is dead. If we truly believe, we will truly seek to know our Father. We will learn to walk with Him day-by-day, and not merely give Him lip service occasionally, and then live as we please the rest of the time. How can we bless God with one breath, and curse man with the next, when man is made in God's image? How can we be mean, angry, bitter, vindictive, cheating people Monday through Saturday, then come into worship on Sunday without feeling the need to repent? We can't hope to please Him this way. If we do not diligently seek God in our lives, then He is under no obligation to reward us, either temporally or eternally.

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:17-21)