It is reasonable to assume that all those who believe in God, understand who He is, and recognize all that He has done for us will want to please Him in the things that they do. But how do we live in such a way as to please God?

Paul wrote to the brethren in Ephesus about “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). If this is something we are “trying to learn,” then that tells us two things:

1. It is not something we instinctively know. The prophet Jeremiah said, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
2. God is not pleased with just anything we might do for Him. Jesus spoke of those who would claim to do many things “in [His] name” but were rejected by Him because they were practicing “lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22).

If we are going to please God, we need to learn how to please Him and be sure we are learning the proper way to do it. Since we cannot look to ourselves (or other men) to determine this, we need to look to God Himself and the word He has revealed to us. Paul wrote, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). Just as you and I do not know what the other is thinking unless we tell each other, we cannot know the mind of God unless He tells us. Thankfully, He has revealed the Scriptures to us so that we may be “equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In other words, everything we need to know to please the Lord can be learned through a study of the Scriptures.

So what do the Scriptures teach about what we must do to please the Lord? Let us consider a few points:Continue Reading