“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Ps. 19:14

Can you say that God is pleased with you? If you were to meet God in person, would He be smiling, or frowning?

It is a good feeling when you know someone is pleased with you. It is more fun to show a report card from school with “straight A’s” than to produce failing scores. With eagerness, we accept awards, but with reluctance we face discipline. The husband who pleases his wife will smile. The husband who troubles his wife had better own a “dog house.” Everyone attempts to please those that are important in his/her life.

It is possible to please the Lord! There need be no doubt about God’s feelings about us. But, to be pleasing in God’s sight, several steps must be taken.

First, we must assume responsibility for our lives. God is not arbitrary about the ones He blesses and the ones He condemns. God’s response is in direct proportion to the life lived. The Lord desires more than for us to react to life like a pinball bouncing off the next bumper. We are to live life with purpose. That purpose must be to please God.

Secondly, we must acknowledge that our minds should be consumed with pleasing God. Mentally, we should have every thought captive to obey Christ. No difficulty permits us to invent our own solution, nor critique how others threaten us. The greater the pressure, the more focus on the Lord is expected by Him.

Thirdly, we must control what we say. Just as many change their language when a minister enters the room, we should carefully acknowledge that the Lord is present everywhere we go. Each word should be expressed with the heart-felt desire that the Lord is pleased with our expressions about life. It should be remembered that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, not their murmuring and complaints.

Finally, we must remember that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). We must believe in every situation; the Lord is our answer. When He sees we seek His approval, not everyone else’s, He will show His pleasure by escorting us through our day. He will make every challenge a chance for us to show that we are not focused on pleasing a fickle world. We are focused on the unchanging King of Kings that loves us forever.

Bro. John A. Temple is pastor of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, 4032 Poplar Springs Drive, Meridian. Visit the church website at www.psdbc.org.