What Makes God Smile ~
Discovering how to please God should be one of our highest goals in life. Making Him smile should delight us as much as it does God Himself. Living to please God is living well. Often we are self-absorbed and neglect to think about what God would do, say or want in a given situation. One man in the Bible named Noah, loved God with all his heart and pleased God with his life. He made God smile and knew this was one of his most important goals in life. His personal relationship with God enabled Noah to hear from God, trust Him and obey. Matthew 2:37-39 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.”
We are told in Genesis 6:9, Noah continually walked with God and followed after His will. God sincerely adores His children to love and obey them. Recently, I attended a Men’s Prayer Breakfast with my husband in which the wives were invited. The keynote speaker, KP, is a Captain in the Naval Aviation Special Forces unit and a lover of the Lord. His relationship with God shown through every word he spoke, each move he made and the wisdom he shared in ministering the gospel to newly enlisted young adult Marines and Navy men was astounding. His number one question to these men, “Are you all in?” This simplistic form of evaluating our relationship with almighty God is both profound and urgent. Are we all in, or are we partially committed? He says in Revelation 3:15, “I know your deeds; you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one of the other.” God loved us so much He was all in. He gave up His only begotten Son for us, while we were yet sinners, so that we could spend eternity with him. Jesus willingly suffered and died, to make this happen. He and God were all in. How can be anything less? Loving us, loving Him, what a relationship.
Psalm 34:8 says because we trust God we are blessed. He is a good God and full of mercy and grace, compassion and unconditional love for us. It pleases God for us to trust Him. If we love Him, why not trust Him as well? He means for our good and not for harm, what is not to trust about Him. Pleasing God through loving and trusting Him bring him great pleasure and we are blessed as a benefit. We must not only believe in God, but trust Him as well. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Without faith is impossible to please God. He who comes to God must believe that His is and that He is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” See the need to love God, the needs to be all in, the need to trust Him in order to please Him?
God is pleased when we obey Him. If we love God we should obey Him. (John 14:15) He loved us before we were created, He knows every hair on our head and sent His Son to die for us, who better to love with all our hearts and souls and minds? Who better to trust with everything in us? Who better to obey but the Creator of the Universe? Doing as God commands us pleases God, is a way to worship Him, and makes Him smile. As we wholeheartedly love, trust and obey God, our relationship with Him grows deeper and deeper. Delayed obedience is actually disobedience. (Warren, 2002) Partial obedience is no obedience at all. Often we feel if we don’t understand what is being asked of us, why should we obey? We obey because God knows the whole story; He sees the big picture. It is only up to us to listen, trust and obey. With God’s help we can do this. He says in Philippians 4:13 we can do all things with Christ. If we believe this, than there is nothing Jesus instructs us to do that we should not promptly act upon. Our promise should be as David’s in Psalm 119:33, “Teach me, oh Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.”
Noah praised God and gave thanks to Him continually. This was right in the eyes of the Lord. (Psalm 69:30 & 31) Praising God brings Him glory and fills us with great joy. When we express our adoration and gratitude for God because of Who He is first, then for what He has done for us. How awesome is this God we serve. Our praise is like a sweet fragrance unto His nostrils. The whole earth is filled with His glory yet do we praise Him on a regular basis? Praise is as much for us as it is for God. Adoration is due the Lord, and when we offer it sacrificially to Him, we ourselves become full and overflowing with delight and am made content. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
God gives us talents, gifts and resources to use for His glory. If we don’t use them, they are wasted and it is as if God had not given them to us in the first place. Used for His purposes, many are blessed and made whole, while we too are blessed as the giver and most importantly, God is well pleased. We must use what God has given us and obey His instructions. Our lives can be far less complicated if we would only go to God first with our concerns. I Peter 5:7 says, “Cast your cares upon Me for I care for you.” God is ready and able to move on the details of your life. He is concerned about everything that happens to you. He reassures the Godly their steps are directed by God; He delights in every detail. (Psalm 37:23)
He gives you the gifts He does for you to bless others and bring glory to God. Hiding them does no one any good. Share openly and graciously and as you seek God first, He will give you the desires of your heart.
We make God smile because we believe in Him, we love Him, we trust and obey Him. Remember, God loves you and would have died for you if you were the only one on the face of this planet. That is how much God loves you!
Are you aware that the Noah story actually originated in the pre-christian mythology of the Middle East? The original tale was most likely Sumerian, and was certainly not judaeo-christian.
In any case, I am reminded of the words of a famous atheist, who said...
You can't even provide a rational demonstration of your "god's" existence, much less provide an objective list of what makes "him" happy. Your instructions are meant to compel conformity, and would seem to me to equate to one BIG waste of time and energy. If the average christian spent even HALF as much time actually trying to understand his or her fellow men and women that they spend obsessed with the wants of their imaginary friend, I propose that the world would be a much better place.
TTFN,
Blackout
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Yes, I've changed my username from "percivale" to "Blackout." Go here if you want to know why.
I didn't know Susan B. Anthony was an atheist. That is great!
As for the blog comment. I have to agree with Blackout, who seemed to have voiced my opinions far better than I could have. Please spend more time on humanitarian studies to really round out your views. It would make things much more tolerable in the world.
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You can't ignore me, for I'll not lie down quietly.
http://insanitek.net
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First, during the time of Noah by the Bible there were NO Jews none what so ever. Secondly, if the flood did in fact happen (I believe it did, I choose to believe based on faith) then wouldn’t that mean that Noah was the father of all mankind. If that is true then that would mean that every culture would have come from Noah so they would have all past down the story. In that case when other people from different parts of the world wrote there stories about the flood it was the same story past down from generations pasted. Now many of these cultures were around long before the Jews even came into the picture that does not mean that the Jews are lairs or wrong. It means that other descendant of Noah got the idea to write it down first.
Now biblically the story of Noah was written by Moses while the Jews wandered the desert for 40 years. Moses was raised in Egypt Kind of far from Sumerian. Also the oldest origin of the Noah story was from Babylonian people. I still choose to believe as I do. I will quote a writer that I agree with
“I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.” ~Albert Camus
Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is. Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richards Almanack, 1749
Just so you can back up faith with fact.
At Ur, Woolley found a deposit of silt eleven feet thick which he explained "would probably mean a flood not less than twenty-five feet deep." He felt that "in the flat lowlying land of Mesopotamia a flood of that depth would cover an area about 300 miles long and 100 miles across . . ." Going to the Bible record, Woolley equated his finding with the Genesis account which said "that the waters rose to a height of 26 feet." (Actually, the passage reads "15 cubits above the mountains" in Gen. 7:20, and 15 cubits is about 26 feet, to be sure, but above the mountains, and Mount Ararat, where Noah landed, is 17000 feet high!) Woolley concluded:
"It is not a universal deluge; it was a vast flood of the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates which drowned the whole habitable world between the mountains and the desert; for the people who lived there, that was all the world. The great bulk of these people must have perished, and it was a scanty and dispirited remnant that from the city walls watched the flood recede at last. No wonder that they saw in this disaster the gods' punishment of a sinful generation, and if some household had managed to escape by boat from the drowned lowlands, the head of it would naturally be chosen as the hero of the saga. "
http://www.asa3.org/asa/PSCF/1984/JASA9-84Atkins.html
I always figured that any story passed down is true and yet slightly exaggerated. EIther way this does not change that a great feat was overcome.
For the record I fully believe the bible AND the error of man...it is literal with the confussion of humanity.
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
I still choose to believe as I do. I will quote a writer that I agree with
“I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.” ~Albert Camus
I think that Camus' quote is a little simplistic, as it seems to assume that the lives that people live "as if there is a god" are uniformly fulfilling, and those who live otherwise are uniformly unfulfilled. I would suggest, however, that this is a false assumption. If the evidence points one way and your beliefs point in another, I would suggest that you should turn a skeptical eye towards both and ask youself, "which one of these really makes the most sense?" I would also suggest taking an objective step back and asking yourself, "if this wasn't a question regarding my religion, what would I think of these beliefs?"
TTFN,
Blackout
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Check out Progressive PRIDE, a Gay-Straight Alliance for the Progressive U community.
Your instructions are meant to compel conformity, and would seem to me to equate to one BIG waste of time and energy. If the average christian spent even HALF as much time actually trying to understand his or her fellow men and women that they spend obsessed with the wants of their imaginary friend, I propose that the world would be a much better place.
.
The average Christian is suppose to spend, in the very least, half as much time as they spend in 'the word' on humanity. Unfortunately, when they attempt to step out of the Good Book they get attacked with ridicule and accusations of being time wasters, as well as ripped to shreds. I commend people who are willing to get ate up and chewed out for what they believe even if it is a little loopy.
I agree that people should have facts and with most of what you pointed out. It also seems to me that its a little mean, down right rude, equally pointless and intolerant to call someone's object of faith a big waste of time and an imaginary friend. It is no different then any other belief system.
Good comment anyway, I was surprised to see who was an atheist…I thought we were suppose to be found on Christian values and one of the most traditional icons, Susan B. was an atheist non conformist. Awesome!
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
A Christian knows that he or she is not a citizen of this world, and are subject to the ridicule and reproach of their fellows. I'm certainly used to it, and I don't lose sleep over it either. Daily stonings are part of a Christian's life. It also doesn't mean we should alienate ourselves from the world, or hate it.
I commend people who are willing to get ate up and chewed out for what they believe even if it is a little loopy...It also seems to me that its a little mean, down right rude, equally pointless and intolerant to call someone's object of faith a big waste of time and an imaginary friend.
I don't think it benefits humanity to encourage "loopy" beliefs that rely on the denial of reason and evidence-based reality. To quote one of my favorite sources...
TTFN,
Blackout
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Check out Progressive PRIDE, a Gay-Straight Alliance for the Progressive U community.
Just wanted to take a moment to thank all who have posted comments to my articles. I truly appreciate the time you give to reading what I've posted. Please keep in mind although I have intermingled my own thoughts as well on the subject matter these opinions shares are not all solely my own as I am taking much information from Rick Warren's book and condensing it into a shorter read,
I was also surprised to hear Susan B. Anthony is an athiest, very disappointing but not surprising since this nation made a coin after her. Our nation was founded on God but no longer trusts in Him. Our loss indeed.
I do agree with so many who feel the 'Christians' of these days talk the talk but do not walk the walk. I am in no way perfect, but I do believe with Christ in my heart, I know of an unconditional love for my fellow man that I know I would never have without the love of God in my heart. When I speak of a personal relationship with God or Jesus, I am not speaking of a relationship wound up in religious rituals, rules and regulations that are meant to make me more holy, Godly or assure my salvation. I am referring to an unconditional loving friendship that because of God's love for me draws me to Him to love as He loved. True love is to be willing to lay down my life for any of you writing, Christian or Athiest. Christianity is not what God meant it to be these days. I am sure even God is displeased with many so called Christians that are like the Pharisees who walked past the Samaritan in need. How displeasing this was to God, and how strongly it suggests the need for all to care about other people's lives, and not to make them religious soles, but to remind them they are loved by the Creator of this universe, that there is a plan for their lives that is unique only to them and that they have a choice where they spend eternity. God loved us too much to make us all robots, obeying at his command. But He loved us enough to give us the opportunity to accept him or reject Him; I am just putty in His hands used to get this truth out to all I can. Thank you for listening.
Abundant Blessings
Denise Spooner
WWJD <><
Our nation was founded on God
This is, unfortunately, a common misconception that is not based in a good understanding of the actual history of our great nation, who went to great lengths to ensure that religion was kept wholly separate from the institutions of our government.
TTFN,
Blackout
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Check out Progressive PRIDE, a Gay-Straight Alliance for the Progressive U community.