I have often wondered if we have to be perfect in order to please God. Some people view God as an impossible taskmaster with impossibly high expectations. I admit that at times that's how I feel.
But here's the deal: like any loving parent, God expects his kids (us) to act in a certain way. Some Christians may tell you about God's expectations based on where THEY are in THEIR walk with Him. However, lots of advise often contributes to the confusion, and to the wrong belief that God just expects too much, so why bother. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed by how you may or may not be pleasing God, you may be listening to other people's expectations, rather than God's.
So, how do we please God? The story of Cain and Abel in Genesis gives a pretty good idea of how this all fits together. Both of these guys brought something valuable to God, yet only Abel's sacrifice of a first-born from his flock of lambs pleased God, not Cain's crops. Why? Maybe it's because Cain's heart was not really into his offering, and he tried to please god out of an obligation instead of love.
The first step in pleasing God is to really look at ourselves, and be honest about our motivation to please Him. Do we really want to please Him, or are we just going through the motions because someone told us we should??
Obedience is also important in pleasing God. Not the kind of obedience demanded from our parents like keeping our room clean, doing our homework, or obeying curfew. Obedience to God means loving Him enough to listen to what He says, then following through on what we know He told us to do.
Through the Holy Spirit, God speaks to us as we come to Him with willing hearts. God gently shows us areas of our lives that we need to examine and change according to His timetable, not someone else's.
(source: Student's Life Application Study Bible-Tyndale)
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