To Please Him

        I wonder how many times a day, week or year do we give thought to when we stand before God. The Bible says in Romans 14: 10c, 12 "...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." The judgment seat of Christ is where a believer will stand before God and give an account based on the things they have done for Christ. For me this is a very sobering thought! If God were to say (insert name) what did you do on October 31st to please me? My hope is that we would have a list of things we did for Him; but honestly if I don't plan on doing things for Christ they just don't get accomplished in a busy day! The Bible says we will ALL be judged on what we have done FOR Christ, by the Lord's standards, not by ours. There are many areas we can and should please God, I will just mention a few that stand out to me in my life:

1. Bible Reading & Prayer
I hope everyone has a set time to read your Bible and pray. How can we know how to please God, if we don't read what He says? I encourage you if you don't already have a set time to read your Bible every day, that you make one. God is to be the center of our lives, and not just when we can get around to Him. My parents taught me this from a very young age. When I was about 6 on up, my Mom would wake me and my sister up every morning, and we would come downstairs to the table and all read our Bible. When I was young it seemed like a chore, but as I started growing up to today, it is such a sweet time of fellowship with my Lord. That pattern carried on, and the morning is still my favorite time to spend with the Lord. Probably because it is the only relatively quiet time in our house! ;) If you don't read your Bible at all, I encourage you to start reading a little at a specific time each day and ask the Lord to speak to you.

2. Standards & Convictions.
Is there anything you are not willing to do in life because YOU know it's wrong? Convictions are principles found in the Bible, standards are what we build around our convictions to keep us from being tempted. These standards are a safeguard from getting close to breaking those convictions that are Bible based. I strongly recommend, if you have not already, to search the Bible for yourself and find what the Lord commands; then place a standard around them that will keep those convictions strong.

3. Friends
Proverbs 27:17 Do your friends please God? Do they allow you to please God, or do they try to get you away from anything to do with God? Write down the 5 people who are closest to you. These are probably the 5 people you try to please more than anyone else. They are also 5 people you are most influenced by. Now write "God" at the top, and look at your list again. Ask yourself, "If I please God will I still be able to please these people? Or will they laugh at me?". If you can please both, then you have good influences around you; if not, then you need to find some different friends who will HELP you please God. There is nothing like having a friend who will talk to you about the things of God, and encourage you to love God. Someone you can tell walks with God, without them having to tell you. I have also had the opposite, and felt like an outcast if I even mentioned God's name. Believe me, these are people you can do without. As it says in Proverbs 27:17, find a friend that will truly sharpen you for the Lord.

4. Attitude Psalm 51:10
How is your attitude? Does it seek to please God? Our spirit says a lot about what's in our hearts. If we have a sour attitude eventually everyone else will know it too! Matt 12:34b "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Does our attitude reflect we have a sweet caring spirit that makes people want to be around us? Or do we think of only doing something if it will make ourselves look better? God gives us grace every day. Are we as quick to give that person that always seems to rub us wrong, that same grace? Activities we are engaged in...how is our spirit while we are serving? I LOVE to be around other Christians who enjoy serving. It seems I am always at the church doing something, and I so enjoy working with other adults or even kids who want to be there. That's one reason why I love my 3-6 yr old class. Those kids LOVE to be at church. They are so excited that they GET to come to church. I get just as excited when they bound in with all that energy! Please don't complain or have a bad spirit serving wherever you are. A bad spirit is contagious, if you have one you will most definitely spread it. That is definitely not a picture of Jesus' love toward us! I don't remember Him complaining when He had to go to the cross.

                                                                                               



**There are so many other areas that we can and should please our Heavenly Father! I so desire to please God with my life. So many of my friends have went away from serving the Lord, and it breaks my heart. It also gives me a stronger desire to stay in the Bible, lean on my standards and keep my attitude in check so on that day when I stand before my Savior, I will be found pleasing in His sight!




Note to all my readers: Thank you for reading my blog. I tried to convince my Mom that no one would read them if I decided to start a blog. You readers have once again proven Mom is always right! These blogs I type are things the Lord works/is working on me about, and hope maybe they will help you also. I have definitely not mastered this life yet, not even close!;)