Ephesians 5:6-10
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
When I think about the idea of seeking out what pleases the Lord, my friend’s dog Zoe comes to mind. She’s the type of dog that can’t control herself when you come home. It’s as if a three-ring circus is taking place in her belly. Unable to keep her front paws on the ground and her tail wagging so ferociously that she can’t keep her hindquarters still she moves as fast as she can. The sheer excitement in her body nearly keeps her from getting to her human target (it is hard to make a straight line when your body is moving in all different directions). Then, when she finally makes it to your feet, she licks whatever is closest and won’t leave you alone until you pet her. I’ve nearly drowned in her slobber on several occasions.
This is how I think we should be with our God. The sheer thrill of being with Him and knowing Him should drive us crazy with excitement. Think about dogs in general… their only goal in life is to get a good rub down and a cookie. They will do anything to make you happy simply because they’re so thrilled to be with you.
In the verses above, we are commanded to live as children of the Light. Upon our salvation, we were freed from our selfishness; freed to live for our Creator. Therefore, we ought not entertain the empty words and lives of the world. When we turn our lives over to God, we accept His rule over us and the product of our obedience should be goodness, righteousness and truth. Through the goodness, righteousness, and truth in our new lives, we are able to seek out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Just as we learn about God and what pleases Him through goodness, righteousness, and truth, Zoe has learned that it makes people happy when she charges at them with overflowing affection. So what does she do with this knowledge? She uses it over and over again because she knows that it will bring joy to people and that she will receive approval in the way of a cookie or a scratch behind the ears.
Today, I challenge you to seek out what pleases your God. Practice righteousness and see the blessings of His hand that come from a heart of joy. Pursue goodness and watch the products of His love unfold in the lives of people around you. We have been redeemed and loved by the God of the universe. We were created for fellowship with God and the outpouring of selflessness and obedience to God will lead to contentment in our souls and God’s hand of blessing on our lives.
The analogy to the dog is such a great example of how we should be with God! How amazing would it be if every day we each had the excitement of pleasing the Lord in everything that we do and the constant thrill of spending time with Him and bearing the fruit of the Spirit in order to please Him!
Romans 14:17-19 & 1 Timothy 5:4, have some references. I have always thought that obedience and faith (which are very similar) were the huge factors to pleasing God and choosing His way when it is hard to (Romans 12:1, 1 John 5:3, Hebrews 11:6 etc).