I want to be good to God. I heard myself say that in prayer the other day. And really it’s nothing new. It is just this consuming desire to treat God beautifully, to delight His heart constantly. Paul showed me the way when he wrote to the Philippians and said he was praying for them; he was praying for them so that they would be fully pleasing to God and desire to please Him in all things.There is more to pleasing Him than rote obedience, it is a matter of intertwining of hearts that pursue the same purpose. It is a matter of attitude, how I respond to and act towards Him.
Far, far be it from me to presume or for one moment venture to even insinuate that the Most High needs one such as I for His wellbeing and happiness.Yet as i ponder the scriptures i find human behaviour eliciting differing reactions from God. Some annoyed Him, some delighted Him, some He did not think much of, some saddened Him. Something in them, in their attitude rubbed God the wrong way. ‘ How long will these people despise me?’ said God after the spies debacle. But He still took care to point out the two whose conduct had been exemplary. Those two are some of my heroes.
Growing up in a large family, you get to see differing attitudes towards elders and even towards parents. Some children were very considerate of parents, eager to please, wanting to cause no trouble, showing concern about their wellbeing; others, thought only of what they wanted, whatever inconvenience it would cause the parents was irrelevant. It was all about them. And we are often like that with God, some of His children just want their stuff. As to whether their way of going about things is disagreable to the Father or not is not facored into the equation. They live not paying much attention to His heart, His desires, totally absorbed with their likes and dislikes, wants and imagined needs.
It need not be so, it ought not be so. We can be prompt to love, prompt to hear, prompt to heed. We can be quick to respond, quick to believe, like Caleb and Joshua, quick to act as He directs. We can be early to pray, early to fellowship and early to worship, live with our head on His heart. We can honour Him, take him at His word, and treat Him beautifully. I want to be good to God.
Oh sure, being pleasing to God. That is what the Lord has been teaching me lately. that it’s all in my attitude. This was my question: In whatever I do, am I doing it to be good to men or good to God? and whatever I do, when God looks down, does He dance over me?
Funny, I just studied Philippians no later than this morning.
Excuse my daring curiosity, but I’d really like to know on which passage is based your affirmation that “some He did not think much of”.
Examples abound, take all the people called ‘brood of vipers’, called ‘hypocrites’, all the people who incurred the wrath of Jesus as they traded in the temple, the Pharisees…
Me tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!