Chapter 12 What pleases God on the ninth day?

What pleases God on the ninth day? May the LORD rejoice in you. ． ． ． ． ． (Numbers 6:25) Rejoice in your servant, teach me to live uprightly. (Psalm 119:135) To please God is the purpose of life. Since pleasing God is your first purpose in life, your first job is to discover how to achieve it.The Bible says: "Always test what pleases the Lord, and then do it." The Bible clearly gives us an example that pleases God. The man's name was Noah. In Noah's time, the whole world was already morally bankrupt, and everyone lived not for God, but for their own enjoyment.God couldn't find anyone on earth who wanted to please him. He was sad and regretted making man.Therefore, he hated human beings very much and began to consider destroying all human beings.But there was one person who made God happy. The Bible says, "But the Lord loved Noah."

God said, "This man brought me laughter, and I'm going to start over with his family." Because Noah pleased God, you and I are alive today.From his life, we can learn five acts of worship that please God. God is pleased when we love him with all our hearts Even though no one in the world loved God anymore, Noah still loved God more than anything in the world.The Bible says that Noah was like this throughout his life: "Noah always followed God's will and enjoyed an intimate relationship with God." This is what God wants most from you!This is the most astonishing truth of the universe ----- our Creator expects you to respond to his love, he said: "I don't want your sacrifices, what I want is steadfast love, I want my son The people know me."

Can you feel God’s feelings for you from these words spoken by God?God loves you deeply and longs for your response, and expects you to get to know him and spend time with him.That's why learning to love and be loved by God is the primary purpose of your life.Jesus called this the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." God rejoices when we trust him with all our hearts The second reason God was pleased with Noah was that Noah believed in God even when it seemed illogical.The Bible says: "By faith, Noah obeyed God's warning on things he had not seen, and built an ark so that he and his family could be safe. In this way, he condemned that generation, and he himself received God's warning. righteousness by faith."

Just imagine this scenario: One day, God came to Noah and said, "I am very disappointed in human beings. Except for you, everyone in the world does not miss me. Only you, Noah, I am happy to see you. I am so happy with your life, I am ready to flood the whole world, leaving only your family to start over. You make a big boat, and it will save you and all the animals." This presented Noah with three problems: First, Noah never saw rain, because before the Flood, God moistened the earth with a mist from the earth.Second, the place where Noah lived was far away from the ocean. Even if he knew how to build a big ship, how could he pull the big ship into the water?Every three, how did Noah get all the animals together and take care of them?But Noah didn't complain, and he didn't find any excuses to shirk. He completely trusted God, so he was pleasing to God.

Trusting God completely means trusting him to know what is best for your life.You look to Him to keep His promises, to help you with your problems, and to make the impossible possible when needed.The Bible says, "He loves those who honor him and trust in his enduring love." It took Noah a hundred and twenty years to build the ark, and I believe he faced many frustrating days.Year after year there was no sign of rain, and he was brutally criticized as "this madman who thinks God is speaking to him!" I can imagine how embarrassing Noah's children must have been at having the great ark built in their front yard.Even so, Noah still trusted God.

Where in your life do you need to trust God completely?Trust is an act of worship, just as children trust their parents' love and wisdom, and their parents are happy.Likewise, your faith can please God.The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." God is pleased when we obey him wholeheartedly Saving animals of all kinds from flooding required a lot of attention to the details of resupply activities.Everything must be done exactly as God directed.God did not say: "Noah, make a boat according to your heart!" God clearly instructed the size, shape, material of the hull, and the different numbers of animals to be carried on the ark.The Bible describes Noah's response: "Noah did this, and he did all that God commanded him." Note that Noah obeyed exactly (not neglecting any instructions), he was exactly in God's time and way .This is a sign of total commitment. No wonder God loved Noah.

If God told you to build a big ship, would you feel doubts, resistance, or reservations?Noah did not. He obeyed God wholeheartedly.It means doing whatever God asks you to do without reservation or hesitation, without any delay in saying to the Lord, "Let me pray and see," you do it without any delay.Every parent knows that delayed obedience is disobedience. God is under no obligation to explain or give you reasons for what He wants you to do.We can slowly learn the truth, but we cannot delay disobedience.Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible study.In fact, there are certain commands that you will never understand unless you follow them first.

Too often we try to obey God selectively. We make a list of things we like to do and ignore things we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpleasant.I go to church but don't tithe; I read the Bible but don't forgive the person who hurt me.Partial compliance is actually non-compliance.Wholehearted obedience is done fervently and joyfully.The Bible says, "Submit to him with joy." This was David's attitude: "Teach me, O Lord, your statutes, and I will keep them to the end." James said to Christians: "We please God because of what we do, not just because of what we believe." This shows that salvation is not earned, but only by God's grace.But as a child of God, you can please him by obeying his commands.Why does obedience please God?Because it shows that you really love him.Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands."

God rejoices when we keep praising him Nothing makes us happier than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from others, and so does God.He rejoices when we adore and adore him. Noah's life was pleasing to God because he lived in praise and thanksgiving.After the flood, all Noah did was build an altar and offer sacrifices to show his gratitude to God.The Bible says, "Noah built an altar to the Lord... and offered sacrifices on it." Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we don't need to offer sacrifices like Noah did, but instead we have to offer "sacrifices of praise" and "sacrifices of thanksgiving".We praise him as God and thank him for what he has done.David said: "I will praise the name of God with a song, and I will magnify him with thanksgiving! This will please the Lord..." When we offer praise and thanksgiving to God, a wonderful thing will happen : That is, when we make God happy and satisfied, our hearts are also filled with joy at the same time!

My mother loves to cook for me, and even when I go back to my hometown after Kay and I get married, she will prepare a lot of home-cooked food.One of the happiest things in her life is to see these children happily eating, drinking and enjoying the food she prepares. The happier we eat, the happier she is inside.Of course, we also enjoy the joy of pleasing her by expressing our appreciation for her cooking skills, which is a two-way enjoyment.Therefore, whenever I eat this big meal, I also want to please my mother, so everyone is happy. God rejoices when we use our talents After the Flood, God gave Noah these simple instructions: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. . . . Every animal that lives will be your food. All these things I have given you, like a vegetable God said: "Now is the time for life to move forward. Do what I plan for human beings to do, start a family, cultivate and maintain health, and truly be a human being! This is exactly how I created you."

You may think that doing "spiritual" things like reading the Bible, meeting, praying, and sharing testimonies is what pleases God.You may think God doesn't care about the rest of your life.In fact, God loves to watch every detail of your life. Whether you are working, playing, resting or eating, He will not miss a single action of yours.The Bible says, "The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord, who delights in every detail of their lives." Except for sin, as long as we do everything with an attitude of praising God, everything can please God, including washing dishes, repairing machines, selling products, writing computer programs, farming, raising a family, etc., can glorify God.God is like a proud parent who especially enjoys watching you use the talents and abilities He has gifted you.God intentionally bestows different gifts on the world. He created some people with particularly good motor skills, and some people with particularly good analytical skills.You may have mechanical, mathematical, musical, or a thousand other different gifts, all abilities that please God.The Bible says, "He formed every man in order, and now sees all that we have done." Hiding your talents, or trying to imitate others, does not glorify God or make Him happy, only being yourself can make Him happy.When you resist any part of yourself, you deny God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating you.God said: "You have no right to argue with your Creator!... You are but pottery made by the potter, and the clay will not ask: Why did you make me like this?" In the movie "Chariots of Fire," Olympic sprinter Eric Reed said, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me run fast, and whenever I run, I feel God's pleasure ’” Then he said, “To give up running is to defy God.” There are never unspiritual gifts, only misused gifts.Start using your gifts now to please God! God also likes you to enjoy his creation. He has given you eyes to enjoy beauty, ears to enjoy sound, nose and taste to enjoy taste and deliciousness, and nerves under the skin to enjoy touch.When you are thankful, every act of enjoyment becomes an act of worship.The Bible says: "God has given us all things to enjoy" God even enjoys watching you sleep!When my children were young, I remember the great enjoyment of watching them sleep soundly.Many times, they cause trouble and disobedience during the day, but when they sleep peacefully, they appear contented, relieved and peaceful.Then I remembered how much I love them.My kids don't have to do anything for me to enjoy them.Just watching them breathe makes me happy because I love them.Often staring at their chests up and down, I would be so happy that tears filled my eyes.In the same way God looks at you with love when you sleep because you are His creation.He loves you as if you were the only one in the world. Parents never require their children to be perfectly mature in order to enjoy them. Parents enjoy every stage of their children's growth.Likewise, God doesn't wait for us to mature to like us, He loves you and enjoys every stage of your spiritual growth. Maybe when you were growing up, there were people who couldn't please your parents. Please don't think that God feels the same way about you.He knows that you cannot be perfect or not sin.The Bible says, "Of course he knows what we are made of, and he remembers that we are but dust." God looks at the attitude of the heart - is the desire to please Him the deepest desire of your heart?Paul's purpose in life is: "We resolve to please the Lord whether we live in the physical body or die out of the body." In an eternal sense, the focus of your life should be from "How much joy can I get out of life?" becomes "How much joy can God get in me?" In the twenty-first century, God is looking for people like Noah, people who want to please God.The Bible says: "The LORD looks down on the world from heaven to see if there is anyone who is wise and who pleases him." Has living a life that pleases God become your goal?God will do all things for those who are fully committed to this purpose.