Pleased

1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, just as we have taught you.

We all have our early morning routine, but for many of us, it often includes coffee and time with the Lord. We may read His word, lift our prayer requests up to Him, and head off to our job or other daily to-dos. But what if we started each day with asking, ‘Lord, how can I please you today?’

Scripture is filled with references to what pleases God: keeping his commandments (1 John 3:22), doing good and sharing (Hebrews 13:15-16), children who obey their parents (Colossians 3:20), those who live in awe of Him and put their hope in his unfailing love (Psalm 147:10-11), and living a life of mercy and humility (Micah 6:8). But none are more direct or to the point than Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.”

Faith is so often thought of as some abstract or subjective belief, hard to define and even more difficult to demonstrate. For many it is just wishful thinking. But that is not the faith of the redeemed Christ-follower. Faith is the confident trust in God and His promises, “the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Fully relying on Jesus for salvation, forgiveness of sin, and living out His word, even when evidence is not visible. But true faith is far more than believing. James 2:19 tells us, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

Faith is knowing the character, nature, and authority of our loving Heavenly Father. Matthew 8:5-13 tells us the story of a Roman centurion, a Gentile, whose faithful servant had become extremely ill. The soldier came to Jesus and begged him to heal his servant. Even as Jesus agreed to come, the centurion demonstrated a faith, humility, and an understanding of authority that Jesus had not seen before. The soldier did not deem himself worthy to have Jesus even enter his home, showing a deep respect for Jesus' spiritual authority and an understanding that Jesus’ word alone carried the power to heal. Jesus’ response was to proclaim this the greatest faith he had seen in all of Israel.   

It is in the faith of an intimate relationship that God finds pleasure: “For the source of your pleasure is not in my performance or the sacrifices I might offer to you. The fountain of your pleasure is found in the sacrifice of my broken and contrite heart before you. You will not despise my tenderness as I bow down humbly at your feet” (Psalm 51:16-17 TPT). God is most pleased when our faith knows, "When I draw near to God, He will draw near to me” (James 4:8). A faith that obeys God’s word not out of duty but from an intimate love relationship and a deep desire to honor God in everything we do.

Every morning, God has a question for us—“Will you trust me today?” Will you trust me to lead you and make your path straight (Proverbs 3:6), to lead you to still waters and green pastures (Psalm 23:2), to provide everything you need (Psalm 23:1), to guide you through the daily challenges of relationships, finances, or just life (Psalm 23:4), and to instruct you and teach you in the way you should go (Psalm 32:8). When we understand that God is not somewhere distant but always with us, when we respond to Him with an unconditional YES!, God’s heart is pleased. 

Trust Him; lean into Him today, “for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT). 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To subscribe: www.livingoaksministry.com                                   Copyright 2026 Living Oaks Ministry

Gary and Sandy Anthony

1 John 3:22 NASB Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Romans 8:8 AMP Those who live according to the desires of their flesh, living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses, cannot please God.

Hebrews 13:15-16 NASB Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Colossians 1:9-12 ESV And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Mark 12:33 TPT And there is something more important to God than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings: it’s the commandment to constantly love God with every passion of your heart, with your every thought, and with all your strength—and to love your neighbor in the same way as you love yourself.

2 Timothy 2:4 ESV No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

Colossians 3:20 ESV Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Psalm 149:4 ESV For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Psalm 147:10-11 ESV His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Titus 2:14 TPT Jesus, the anointed one, sacrificed himself for us that he might purchase our freedom from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people who are his very own, passionate to do what is beautiful in his eyes.

Micah 6:8 NLT O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Psalms 24:3-6 TPT Who, then, is allowed to ascend the mountain of Yahweh? And who has the privilege of entering into God’s Holy Place? Those who are clean—whose works and ways are pure, whose hearts are true and sealed by the truth, those who never deceive, whose words are sure. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and righteousness given by our God. They will stand before God, for they seek the pleasure of God’s face, the God of Jacob.

Proverbs 21:3 ESV To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Psalm 25:14 AMP The sweet, satisfying companionship of the Lord is for those who revere and worship him, and he makes known to them his covenant and reveals to them its deep, inner meaning.