Walking Worthy-Pleasing the Lord

"that you walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him..."


Walking worthy is directly tied to pleasing God.  He is pleased when we walk worthy.  When we please Him, we are walking worthy of Him. Pleasing God is not simply the omission of doing wrong (NOT doing evil), but committing things that glorify Him (doing good).


It reminds me of parents and their teenagers. Parents are glad when their kids are not doing drugs, drinking, and participating in wild parties, but does it please them? If that pleases them (delights them, gives them satisfaction) then it is evidence of a culture completely out of whack!  What pleases my parents is not just the fact that I am not being bad, but that I am doing good.  It pleases them  when I love the Lord, not only abstain from, but HATE evil, serve with a willing heart, and demonstrate a genuine love for others.  When I am pleasing to them, then they are proud (in a good way) to introduce my as their daughter.


When I am pleasing God, not only is He "not ashamed to be called my God," but He is delighted to claim me. Like in Job 1, "Have you observed my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" 


But what is pleasing to the Lord? What brings Him delight and satisfaction?
"Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more." 1 Thess. 4:1  
We should already know how to please God, because the Scriptures tell us how!


~God is pleased when we obey our parents.  Colossians 3:20 says, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord."


~God is pleased when our priorities are in the right place. In 1 Kings 3:9-10, Solomon, instead of asking for gold and riches, says, "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this."


~God is pleased when we are selfless. Hebrews 13:16 "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."


~God is pleased when our desires are the same as His. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

~God is pleased when by our faith in Him we draw near and are spurred into action. "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 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." Hebrews 11:5-6

These are amazing verses!  Faith pleases God.  It is important, therefore, to understand what faith is. "Faith is being confident in what we hope for, and certain in what we do not see" says the unknown writer in Hebrews 11, the Great  of Chapter of Faith..  In verse 6, which is listed above, faith is knowing two things: God exists and there are Consequences as to whether we will seek  Him and please Him or not.  

Whoa! Wait a minute! There are consequences to whether we please God or not? Absolutely! There are rewards for those who please God!  "For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God." Ecclesiastes 2:26

And yet, the very fact that you are pleasing God should be reward enough.  The thought of God being delighted by me and what I am doing thrills my very soul! Spurgeon said, "To please God even a little is infinitely greater than to have the acclamations of all our race throughout the centuries."


If I were to die today, getting mauled by a herd of stir-crazy pigs escaping from their pens, what would be said at my funeral? Would it be completely honest to say, "Sophie lived a life pleasing to the Lord?" I am trying to live my life as if each day were my last, and that today is the day that my eulogy will speak of.  How I live today will be what people will remember me by, and what God will judge me by.  Am I walking worthy? May I be unashamed and may God be pleased and delighted to welcome me into His kingdom, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"


Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."