Motivated by Pleasure

Scripture References:
Romans 8:8
Hebrews 11:6
Hebrews 13:21
Psalm 22:3
Proverbs 8:30
John 8:29
Matthew 3:17

There is motive behind every action: The dude on the block wants money. The chick giving away her purity wants to feel loved. The single mother working two jobs just wants her son to have a better life. The guy who is smoking weed just wants to relieve himself of the weight of life for a moment. And the foul rapper is doing what he thinks he must do for the fame.

So as a Christian what motivates you? Are you motivated by the same things that motivate the world? Are you influenced to act by the want unlock the blessings of God, monetary or physical? Or are you motivated to be the number one Christian in the eyes of your peers?

Truth be told, as a Christian none of the previous should be your chief motivation, even though many of these things are. What should motivate us as Christians? the pleasure of our holy and glorious God. The ultimate want and desire of our heart should be to please the Lord of our lives.

So how do we please this glorious and holy God? The answer is found in the scriptures:

1. Don’t Live by the Flesh/Live by Faith

Romans 8:8 says that it is impossible for man to please God in the flesh. Therefore in order to please God man must first, by the Spirit, crucify his flesh and daily beat it into subjection.

In turn in no longer living by the flesh, we must instead live by faith, as Hebrews 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Specifically we must let God work within us. Look ahead to Hebrews 13:21 which states:

“make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] glory forever and ever. Amen.”

We must let God work in us and in doing so He himself will work in us what pleases Him.

2. Live a Life of Praise of and Worship unto God

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3

God inhabited the praises of Israel. This word inhabitest used in the King James Version is the Hebrew word yashab which means to dwell or remain. God is and omnipotent, all powerful being that can do whatever at anytime but chose to remain in the praises of Israel. Why would he do this unless remaining in these praises was something that he enjoyed or pleased Him?

King Solomon personifies wisdom in Proverbs 8 and in verse 30 says that he was the Lord’s delight everyday because he daily rejoiced in God. We must go beyond the weekly corporate worship and daily take time to and praise God, stand in awe of his glory, and worship Him for who he is.

3. Live as Christ Lived

Christ lived a life that pleased God. In fact Christ proclaims Himself in John 8:29 that he always did what pleased God. In Matthew 3:17 God proclaims that Jesus not only was his son but his son in whom he was well pleased.

In order to truly please God we must live a life imitating Christ. We must go through the gospels see how Christ lived his life on earth and what he did to please God and, by the Spirit, do those same things.