MM00053 Doing the things that please Him
Mentoring Manna: Doing the things that please Him
© 2003 Pastor Keith Hassell
MM00053
John 8:29 “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” Jesus’ goal was not only to obey His Father but also to please His Father. Jesus not only obeyed His Father out of a heart of submission, but He also obeyed out of a desire to bring His Father pleasure. Jesus wanted to bring pleasure to His Father’s heart. He wanted to experience His Father’s joy. He wanted to see His Father’s smile. He wanted to hear His Father’s voice expressing pleasure. Jesus did not come to this earth to please Himself. Romans 15:3 states, “For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.'” Jesus came to this earth for one reason: to please His Father in winning our redemption. And surely He found His Father’s pleasure, for His Father testified of Him saying, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
There is a difference between being compliant and being pleasing. The difference is found in our attitude. Our attitude is based on outlook. Our outlook is based upon our status in a relationship. Consider the relationship between a servant and his master. In this relationship the servant’s goal is compliance. He serves out of a sense of obligation. However, in the relationship between a son and his father, the son’s goal is his father’s pleasure. The son serves out of love for his father. A servant will bring his master his meal when he asks to be served. A son will not only bring his father the meal, but will also find something to bring to his father without request just to please him. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 9:17 that if he preached the gospel out of obligation, there would be no reward. But if he preached the gospel willingly, then he would receive a reward. The difference is found in the attitude of obligation or pleasure. Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “We make it our aim, whether present or absent to be well pleasing to Him.”
God distinguishes between those who obey Him out of obligation and those who make it their aim to please Him. As mentioned, the Father made special public mention of His pleasure in His Son, Jesus. Consider also the life of Enoch. Hebrews 11:5 states, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’, for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Because he pleased God, Enoch did not see death! It seems that God will go out of His way to bless those who please Him: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22) Why will the Father go out of His way to bless some of His children above others? It is because they go out of their way to please Him rather than themselves. Pleasing God should be our highest aim. Let us make it our aim today to please the Lord.
Application: Paul said to Timothy, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” Jesus came to this earth on a mission for His Father. He did not come for His own pleasure or else He would not have subjected Himself to the adversity of man. He came to fight Satan, sin and death in order to win our salvation. If we have been born again as God’s children, then we are on this earth with a mission from God. We are here to fight for the souls of men who are perishing in sin. We are not here to please ourselves. We cannot please ourselves and please our Father also because Romans 8:8 tells us that “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” We have to choose who we want to please in this life---ourselves, others, or God. Like Enoch, determine to leave this earth with the testimony that you pleased God.