For His Pleasure - Ruby McMiller
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy
pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11
According to the Oxford dictionary, pleasure is a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment. We take pleasure
in family, friends, church, and all types of events. They bring us such joy. We enjoy God’s creation daily, season
after season. Every need and desire were placed here for our pleasure (except mosquitoes, still not sure how they
got on the ark ; ).
Our verse says that for His pleasure we were and are created. How much pleasure is He getting from us? How can
we bring our Savior pleasure? Do we know what pleases Him? God’s Word shows us what brings Him pleasure.
The Lord tells us that our Faith brings Him pleasure. Hebrews 11: 6 says “But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him”. Faith is the knowing that God will do exactly what He has promised to do! How you respond to His
promises shows Him that you trust Him to be in control of your life. If God says it then it is my responsibility to
obey it. If He says He will do a thing, we are trust His purpose in doing it. It is not a blind leap but a confident
walking in God’s knowledge of our future.
Fearing God brings Him pleasure. Psalm 147:11 says, “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those
that hope in his mercy.” What exactly is the fear of God? The internet has a lot of definitions for this phrase. The
Bible has an even better definition . Proverbs 9:10 reminds us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Fear ( awe, respect, humility) is our key to knowledge
and wisdom; it is to know God Himself. It is our response to the Word of God. Our fear of the Lord pleases Him
because it causes us to continually ask for His help and guidance. As we get to know Him, we learn to love the
things He loves and hates the things He hates. We will learn to stand in awe of Him. Fearing God changes the
way we think about Him. It puts our lives in line with His Word.
Keeping our commitments to God brings Him pleasure. “ Ecclesiastes 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God,
defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.” This verse reminds me of
one of the saddest stories in the Bible. In Judges 11:29-40 Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord that if He gives him
victory over his enemies, he will give a sacrifice to the Lord. The Lord answered Jephthah’s prayer and Jephthah
kept his vow. His daughter was to be sacrificed because that was Jephthah’s vow. Verse 35 shows that Jephthah
understood what it meant to keep his word to God. He says that He could not take it back. He did not try to make
excuses or find a way out. He showed God that he loved and feared Him by doing what he said He would do. He
must have realized that to do anything else would be lying to God. The life of Ananias and Sapphira serves as a
reminder to not lie to the Holy Spirit. Be a person of your word. Deuteronomy 23:21-23 tell us that when we
make a vow to God, He holds us to it .
Walking a holy, separated life brings God pleasure. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Col.1:10. When was the last time you
just sat down and thought about how good God was to save you? Our Lord gave His life for us even before we
understood that we needed a Savior. We are to be His bride. We have been given privileges that non -believers
can never have. We have blessing in heavenly places. In fact, Ephesians chapter one gives us the best reason to
walk worthy or live in a way that shows we value what Jesus has done for us. Read it and see what we have
gained by accepting Christ’s gift of salvation. It is more than a home in heaven. It more than we deserve. Romans
12:1-2 reminds us that is our reasonable (logical) service to God. It is our way of bringing Him pleasure.
Psalm 149:4a says “ For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people:.. How much pleasure are you giving him?
Would you be willing to examine your faith, fear, commitment and walk to see if you really are bringing Him
pleasure? Would you be willing to say “Lord what’s your pleasure for my life, my husband, my children, my job,
my church?