Who are you trying to please?

John 5:30 (NIV)
“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”

Who are you trying to please and at what cost? To please is to cause a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment. I have heard this saying many of times, “You cannot please everyone; so just please yourself.” This statement should go more like this, “You cannot please everyone; so do what is pleasing to God.” A lot of times in this world we have people around us who we want to satisfy, make happy, and help them to be able to enjoy themselves. We would give up time at church, reading the bible, and prayer time to do what we can to cater to those around us that we care about.

Then there are times that we give into pressures around us and take part in sin to please others around us. Such as drinking alcohol (drunkenness), watching shows that are filled with homosexuality and other sinful actions, swearing, fornication, and so on. How about those times where we are forsaking God and sinning to please ourselves. Jesus gives us the example by which we should live our lives. Seeking not to please ourselves but to Please God. In your pursuit of pleasing God you should be reading the Bible. He provides us with directions of how to please him and examples of people who have pleased and people who have displeased him. I assure you that at first it may not be easy giving up doing things you may take pleasure in or feeling as if you are disappointing others. But, as you grow closer to God and become more like Christ you will find that doing what is pleasing to God becomes pleasurable to yourself.

Challenge: Who are you trying to please and at what cost? If the answer is not God, than make the neces  sary changes in your life.

 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 (NIV)

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