P L E A S E (or Pleaser?)
Guest Post by Jenny Stecklair of In The Everyday blog and Stecklair Event Co.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
What pleases God? We often assume it's our best self efforts and stellar behavior. We busy ourselves with good things - serving where we can, giving when we can.....but what if I do all of this good and it still doesn't seem like God is "pleased" with me? Then what?
In John 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man born blind. "And His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?'” (verse 2). Do you see it? They think the same way we often do. This man's life is hard - he was born blind. Someone must have done something wrong and God is ticked. Why else would this happen? They are trying to make sense of circumstances that are too heartbreaking to understand. But what was Jesus' reply?
“Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”
No one is to blame. No one could or should have tried any harder. Better behavior wouldn't have guaranteed he would be able to see at birth. There's nothing anyone could do to change these circumstances, or so many others.
My husband lost his job and we can't make ends meet. Yet another miscarriage leaves me feeling devastated and hopeless. We have prayed and prayed, but my friend still lost her battle with cancer. Why? What more can I do? What should I have done? If I am living my life to please God, why does it feel like He has forgotten me?
Maybe we've got it all wrong, and our doubt and frustration with God is the fruit of doing things our way.
What if all the "good" we busy ourselves with distracts us from the greater, deeper work of choosing to believe that He is all that He says He is?
Could anything please and honor God more than my devotion regardless of the circumstances, choosing to believe He is a REWARDER of those who seek Him?
Try as I might to please God, He makes it clear to me what pleases Him most – a faith-worth-seeking, pursuing, craving. He's a rewarder of those who SEEK Him. Just Him, the person of Christ. God the Father. His face, not His hand. Do you really believe that? Can you really say today in your struggles and hardship that you KNOW God to be a rewarder? If not, why not?
The truth is, it's easier to just keep trying and doing; it makes us feel like maybe we have some control. Faith in God and all that He says He is is harder than applying our own self effort. I don't know where you are or what you are dealing with today, but I know He is a rewarder. He is good. So good. More than fair, He tips the scales in our favor blessing us beyond all that we can even imagine.
So today, be a God pleaser. Choose Him. Trust Him. Seek Him. Tell everyone you know that He is faithful. He tells us that pleases Him most. As you do, you will discover the sweet reward or His joy - it will become your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). As you focus on Him and not your circumstances, you will experience a joy so good it could only come straight from the source of joy, God Himself.
Then do it again tomorrow. Bask in the pleasure of our Good Good Father, friends. Amen!
Jenny Stecklair
Writer. Wife. Mother.
Jenny was born and raised in San Diego, California. She has attended the same church, Foothills, since she was 10. This is where she met many of her closest friends and her husband, Weston. Attending and working at the church, Jenny discovered her love for the Word of God, bringing people together, and planning events. Jenny and her husband recently started having children, which pushed them to get creative so she can stay at home with her kiddos.
They have started a business renting Farm Tables, Benches and Market Lighting, as well as coordination services, for weddings and events. She loves that she gets to do what she loves through the week while being at home with her babies. When they aren't dropping off tables and stringing up lights, Jenny can usually be found at a coffee shop, park or church. In this new season of life, Jenny has learned A LOT about marriage, herself and how much God loves.
