Pleasing to Yahweh

January 24, 2022

Good morning, 2: 24 a.m.! I feel good. It’s early and I know I will go back to sleep eventually, but I feel good! (Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah). I know that I would now (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah). I feel good. Lol. Thank you for a new day Yahweh. Thank you for waking me up, for health, strength and energy. I love you and you have been so good to me. Today, I invite you into my life, into my thoughts, my actions, my very being. Today. You are in control and your will will be done.

Thank you Yahweh for the changes that you have made in my life, for using me and for loving me. Yahweh, I pray for the programme this coming Sabbath. I am excited about it, but I pray that it will reach the heart of those who choose to attend. Thank you for imbuing me with your Spirit. Thank you for your grace and mercy. 

[Confidence: we can be confident because of God, not our actions. His. So we should be confident in overcoming any sin, because of him. Finding that balance of humility in who we are as humans and confidence in his saving blood]

PLEASING GOD

What do you require of us? What pleases you? What makes you smile?

Hebrews 11: 6 – No one can please call without faith. Whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

I believe this is why even if it is as small as a mustard seed he can use it because that one seed is belief and he will use it to increase and further show himself to us. I honestly (though I stand corrected) think that even if the belief isn’t specifically in Yahweh, but that there’s something out there bigger than us and we seek it with a genuine and open heart. He will reveal himself to us. Faith is believing in what or in this case who we cannot see. But we can see the evidence of his existence.

VISUAL: 

Walking with God while trusting completely in him means turning over to him. Literally means that we don’t see, can’t see where we are going! To turn completely to Christ (facing him) and walking with him, means that we are walking backwards, but Jesus is going forward. So even though it may feel like we are going back, we’re moving forward. Yahweh sees us and the path in front that we are following and he leads us. But it requires complete trust on our part. The moment we turn around to see where we are going, that’s when our eyes are no longer on him. We turn our backs to him. The good thing is, we can still hear and turn around. The amazing thing is that you also see what he has brought us through! Hallelujah!

1 Timothy 2: 1 – 3: I encourage you to make petitions, prayers, intercessions and prayers of thanks for all people. For rulers and forever one who has authority over us. Pray for those people so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way. This is good and pleases God our Saviour.

These prayers are not out of obligation, then it would not be pleasant. When we intercede and pray for those in authority, we provide an avenue for Yahweh to work in their lives. That the choices they make would be for the benefit of the nation or those they have authority over. So often you believe and are taught that life on earth can’t be good – and it is only when Christ returns we can enjoy anything.  But even on this earth, Yahweh desires for us to have a life of peace. But it is one of the conditional promises: in order for that peace to come, we needed to pray.

Yahweh, I am just one person, but I pray that you would use me. Let my words be as sweet incense to you. I lift up Lene before you. She has been called to lead your people and we can be stubborn and own way. But you can and will lead. Take her hands and guide her so that she moves where you need her to be. May her choices rightly represent you.

It’s funny, I’ve offered “quick” prayers for the leader of the island. But I never thought to intentionally pray for him. He is your child and he is called. It is not easy being a Christian and holding the standard that you have set and also lead an island. But you have called him for such a time as this. Continue to strengthen him and may He seek you all the days of his life. May he seek to honour you and to live for you. May his decisions be just as you are just. I pray that he starts his day with you and that he does not run ahead of you in what he chooses to do. Bless him and provide. Let his light shine so people can be drawn to you.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 – Rather, we are always spreading the good news. God trusts us to do this because we passed his test. We don’t try to please people but God, who tests our motives. 

Can we please Yahweh with the “right” actions but the “wrong” motive? Ehhhh. Not likely. Are we keeping the law because we have a contrite heart or because we believe it would make Yahweh happy? A contrite (funny word) heart humbles before Yahweh and chooses to do what he desires. But if we only do something to make someone else happy, it does not come from the heart. And it’s the heart that pleases God. 

Philippians 2:13 – It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that pleases him. 

And this is why he desires the heart.  It’s how he can produce in us the best things. It’s a cycle. He fills us. We offer it back to him as a sacrifice. 

Romans 12: 1 + 2 – Brethren, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants – what is good, pleasing and perfect.

Many of Yahweh’s promises are conditional, but conditional based on the heart. Relationship with Yahweh is not formulaic: it is not one size fits all. Yes, there are things that we all are called to do, but our heart’s position will help us to know what we ought to do specifically and what will please him. I may decide to feed the hungry people today: it’s a good thing. But what if today Yahweh wanted me to hug random people? Then as good as feeding the hungry was, it wouldn’t please him as it wasn’t what was placed in a heart to do. However it may have been for someone else. Yahweh should not be brought down to a base equation. We need to maintain that personal relationship with him.

Yahweh hears (here’s) my heart. Speak into my heart. We can’t have heart and not hear. It’s literally the main part of the word. I pray that I hear your truth for me. That my heart be broken before you. To be used as you desire. My heart is yours. 

SIDEBAR: Yahweh does make me smile, yes. It’s easy to forget, so each day I would read over what I had learned seven days before to reinforce it in my mind. What did I see when reading last week’s journal? Noah pleasing God! I wasn’t even planning to “study” what it means to please God until 2 days ago, but here it is. During the study of delayed hope – pleasing God is in the midst of it. I pray that my heart will remain in a position to see you, to allow you to work in me and through me. That what I do is pleasing to you.