THEME: WAYS TO PLEASE GOD
TEXT : 1st John 3: 22-24
To please means cause to feel happy and satisfied. Meaning to please God, you must make Him happy and let Him be satisfied with you. What actually pleases God is our relationship with Him
Now, let me ask us a question——- How can a mortal man please a Spiritual God, How can flesh and blood like me please a Spirit being?
Answer: You must learn to live like a tree to please God
DISCUSSION ON HOW:
In life, the 3 major reasons why trees are planted are:
1. Forfruits
2. Forshade
3. Forbeauty
However, studies shows that the tree does not benefit directly from the above.
Therefore to ever please God, you must take note of these 7 important points from a tree :
1. No matter how tall a tree grows, it never leaves the ground,( unless when there is a heavy storm ) you always see the tree flying. So no matter how great you are or become, you must remain HUMBLE AND BE ROOTED IN CHRIST—– Rom 8:8 (read)
Dont allow what God is doing in your life gets into your head dont lose your touch with your maker as the tree never loses its touch with the ground, only the heavy storm remove the tree from the ground which will never be our portion as Apostle Paul says in the book of Rom 8:35-39. Consider the following things that can separate you from God and you must not allow them, these are
Sin and disobedience
Fear
Doubt
Distractions
Life challenges
Grief
Anger
2. A tree grows deeper has it grows higher. This means you must you must deepen and strength the principles you started with. You must grow stronger as God lifts you higher.
3. Every tree grows in the direction of the source of its energy, the Sun John 5:30 -read
This means the growth and expansion on your life should not take you away from the SOURCE of the growth and expansion. Your Source is God. The growth of a tree is measured by how close it has become to the source of its energy.
4. Like said earlier about reasons for planting a tree in which one of them is for fruits bearing. Have you however seen a tree eating it’s own fruits, The answer is NO. This tells you that whatever God have placed in your life, e.g your gifts, talents, the anointing on your life is not for self gratification, and must be used too. You must never see it as a means of rewarding or keeping it to yourself. God placed them on your life for His people. And you can see how important fruits bearing is in the book of Matt 24: 32-35, Mark 13: 28-31, Luke 21: 29- 33.
5.Thereisnotreereservedforaspecialkindofpeople.Thereisnothinglikeatreefortherich or a tree for the poor. In as much as you get a seed for any of the tree, you plant it. So inother for you to please God, you SHOULD REMAIN ACCESSIBLE TO ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE. Jesus Christ on His way to Jarius’s house, the woman with the issue of blood that has spent all what she had touched him, one can say this woman was wretched because we read that she had spent all what she had, same should be applicable to you. Also, as He went to heal the rich man’s daughter, the poor blind Bartimeus call His attention and He healed him, you too should be able to do likewise.
6. A tree never leaves the place where it is planted. No matter how dry the place and scorchy the sun becomes, a tree will remain there, and at times die there in hope that someday, its maker will send rain. Even if there is a greener pasture just nearby, a tree would never leave the place of its planting. Therefore, to please God, REMAIN STEADFAST AND IMMOVABLE. STAND FIRM IN HIM NO MATTER THE CHALLENGES OF YOUR LIFE, know surely that one day, He will sort you out if you faint not.
7. This is the most important one about a tree. A tree in the forest where no man is bears fruits as much as a tree in the city. It doesn’t say ” well, because there is no one to eat me or see what I am doing or appreciate me, I won’t bear fruits next season. It keeps thinking in its heart that who knows, an hungry man may just pass by and let it not be that he passes by and meet no fruit on me and if not, my maker may come unannounced to check if there be no fruits on me. A tree either planted in the forest or in the city bears fruits to please its maker and also that is what is made to do. Likewise you, inother to please your maker, keep on bearing fruits even if there is nobody around to see what you are doing and say well done, God is seeing you, and in doing that God will be happy with you and you will definitely get your reward from Him.
CONCLUSION
As earlier said, your relationship with God matters as per pleasing Him. Have a good relationship with your maker ,abide in Him and let His word dwells richly in you. You are for Him and for Him alone, do things that are pleasing unto Him and you will have your reward both here on earth and also in heaven. Ask for the grace to do those things that are pleasing unto Him.
GOD BLESS YOU