The Smile of God is the Goal of Our Life
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
Because of His love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ, He would make us His children – this was His pleasure and purpose.
“According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love Having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons (children) by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His Will, To the praise of the glory of His grace, through which He hath made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6).
Bringing pleasure to God is called worship. The Lord is pleased with those who worship Him and trust His love: (Reference Psalms 147:11). One of the greatest gifts God has given to us is the ability to enjoy pleasure. We don’t stop and think about God having emotions and pleasure. He feels things very deeply (Reference Psalms 35:27). Worship is a universal urge, hard-wired by God into the fiber of our being, an inbuilt need to connect with God. When we worship, we bring pleasure to God. Our reason to worship is to bring glory and pleasure to our Creator. God’s heart is touched by our passion and commitment.
Worship is not a part of your life; think about it; IT IS YOUR LIFE! We are told to worship Him continually and to praise Him from sunrise to sunset (Reference Psalms 113:3). It is possible to do everything to the Glory of God by doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with Him while you are working at it. Whatever we do we are to work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord (Reference Colossians 3:23). This is the key to a lifestyle of worship. Everything we do we should be doing for the Lord, performing it with an awareness of His presence. By constantly thinking of Our Lord, we are abiding in His love. This is what real worship is.
The Smile of God is the Goal of Our Life
Our first purpose of our life is to please God. Our most important task is to discover how to do that. These five acts of worship make God smile.
- God Smiles when we love Him Supremely
- God Smiles when we trust Him Completely
- God Smiles when we obey Him Wholeheartedly
- God Smiles when we praise and thank Him Continually
God Smiles when we Use Our Abilities
We are to, in conversation with God, figure out what will please Him, then do it. “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). It is important to avoid evil pleasures. Paul instructs us to rebuke and expose them, for our silence is interpreted as approval. God needs people who take a stand for what is right. We as Christians must lovingly speak out for what is true and right. In Noah’s day, the entire world was morally corrupt. Everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God’s. God was grieved so much that He regretted making man. God became so disgusted with the human race that He considered wiping out all things He had created. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of His heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7). However, there was one man who made God Smile, and that one man was Noah. The Bible says, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). This does not mean that Noah was perfect in his generation. It does not mean that he did not sin (the Bible records one of his sins in Genesis 9:20). It does mean however that Noah wholeheartedly loved and obeyed God. For a lifetime he walked in faith, a living example in his generation. Like Noah, we live in a world filled with evil. As we examine ourselves are we influencing others or being influenced by them.
Noah brought pleasure to God. From his life, we learn the five acts of worship as listed above that make God smile. “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Noah consistently followed God’s Will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him. God wants most from us: a relationship with Him. Our creator wants to fellowship with us. God made the human race to love Him, He longs for us to love Him back. He longs for us to know Him and spend time with Him (Reference Hosea 6:4). In this verse, God points out Israel’s profession of loyalty, like a mist, evaporated easily and had no substance. Many people find it easy and comfortable to maintain the appearance of being committed, but their loyalty is not deep and sincere. If you profess loyalty to God, back it up with your actions. Love God Supremely.
Noah pleased God because he trusted God completely, even when it didn’t make sense. It was by faith Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see and acted on what he was told (Reference Hebrews 11:7). Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary. The Bible says, “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy” (Psalms 147:11). Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Trust God Completely.
Saving the animal population from a worldwide flood required great attention to logistics and details. Everything had to be done just as God prescribed it. He gave very detailed instructions as to the size, shape, and materials of the ark as well as the different numbers of animals to be brought on board. Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his house; by which he became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. The Bible tells us of Noah’s response: in Genesis 6:22 and also in Hebrews 11:7. God’s command seemed foolish, but Noah obeyed. Noah’s obedience to God made him appear strange to the people around him and made him stand out. As we obey God, let’s not be surprised if others consider us different. Your obedience makes their disobedience stand out. And we are to remember, if God asks you to do something, He will give you the necessary strength to carry out those tasks. Noah obeyed completely and he obeyed exactly (in the way and time God wanted it done). That is Wholehearted; meaning doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don’t procrastinate and say, I’ll pray about it. You do it without delay. Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. We are to obey God gladly (Reference Psalms 100:2). God smiles when we Obey Him Wholeheartedly.
God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually when we express our adoration and gratitude to Him. Noah’s life brought pleasure to God because he lived with a heart of praise and thanksgiving. Noah’s first act after surviving the Flood was to express his thanks to God by offering a sacrifice (Reference Genesis 8:20). Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we don’t offer animal sacrifices as Noah did. Instead, we are told to offer God “the sacrifice of praise” and “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Reference Hebrews 13:15 and Psalms 116:17). We praise God for who He is, and we thank God for what He has done. When we offer praise and thanksgiving to God an amazing thing happens; when we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy! (Reference Psalms 68:3). Praise and Thank Him Continually.
The Bible tells us that the steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way” (Psalms 37:23). Every human activity, except sin, can be done for God’s pleasure if you do it with an attitude of praise. God especially enjoys watching us use the talents and abilities He has given us. God intentionally gifted us differently for His enjoyment. The Bible says, “He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works” (Psalms 33:15). He has shaped each person in turn; now He watches everything we do. You don’t bring glory or pleasure to God by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. You bring Him enjoyment by being you. God knows what we are made of. He bears in mind that we are dust. What God looks at is the attitude of your heart: Is pleasing God your deepest desire? “Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). This was Paul’s life goal. More than anything else, we should want to please God our Heavenly Father, whether in our home here or there. When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from how much pleasure am I getting out of life; to how much pleasure is God getting out of my life. God is looking for people like Noah willing to live for the pleasure of God. “The Lord look down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God” (Psalms 14:2). There is nothing God won’t do for the person totally absorbed with this goal. God smiles when we use our abilities.
“The Lord taketh pleasure in them, that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy” (Psalms 147:11). God is pleased with those who worship Him and trust His love. In what areas of your life do you need to trust Him most?
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County. She is the mother of five grown children. Glenda is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She writes Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. Also testing the field in tributes, individual memorial writings, etc. You can read more good Christian news from Glenda HERE.
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