Making God Glad

Making God Glad
John R. Petrilli

You can tell a lot about a person from what they enjoy. As we discover what God enjoys, we can learn a whole lot about Him as well. Joni Eareckson Tada points out, “We tend to think God exists to make us glad; but in truth, we exist to make him glad. Unbelievable! Oh, that we can actually make God happy. We can give him delight and pleasure by our simple acts of obedience, songs of praise, words of gratitude, and pure and godly thoughts.”

GOD IS GLAD WITH EVERYTHING HE’S MADE. Gen. 1:31 ; Rev. 4:11

One of my favorite hobbies is crafting things. Whether it’s framing a picture, building a model, or restoring a broken item, I get a thrill out of seeing the finished product. That’s just a miniscule example of the kind of pleasure God had during creation week as He called the stars into being and flooded the land, skies and seas with abundant life. His work completed, He kicked up his feet, rested, and verbalized His total satisfaction with the end results, calling the entire project “very good”! Like a cosmic bookend, we fast forward to that future day when all of that same creation is found encircling the Throne of God with their praises, proclaiming the sublime truth that their very existence and purpose is to bring pleasure to the great and kind heart of God. Contrary to the false picture of God frowning down at His creation, the Bible portrays Him smiling upon everything He’s made with deep satisfaction and pleasure!

WE MAKE GOD GLAD BY ENJOYING THE BLESSINGS HE BESTOWS ON US. Psalm 51:16-19

I have to laugh every time I hear a gift recipient say, “Oh, you SHOULDN’T have!” Wouldn’t it be far better to simply accept the gift with heartfelt gratitude? Imagine receiving a blessing from God, then telling Him, “Oh, you really SHOULDN’T have!”? How ludicrous! Gifts are given for the blessing and enjoyment of the recipient. When someone loves us, they often express their affection with a gift. The giver gets blessed when the receiver does! When God blesses us materially or spiritually, His heart finds great pleasure in our enjoyment of that gift! As David basked in the forgiveness of his colossal sins of adultery and murder, he asked the Lord to take pleasure in his personal restoration as well as the rebuilding of the life of his nation. When God showers our lives with blessings, we’re not the only ones who get blessed!

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE ARE EFFECTIVE IN HIS SERVICE. Luke 10:17-21 ; Psalm 103:21

No less than seventy-two protégés of Jesus had just completed an arduous tour of duty battling Satan, capturing many of his spiritual strongholds. In today’s jargon, they were “totally stoked” (on fire). They came back to headquarters all excited, and turned in an astounding report on their ministry accomplishments. Even demonic powers had no choice but to yield as they invoked the Name above every name! Like all great trainers, Jesus immediately identified with them in their success, sharing that He had experienced similar spiritual victories. Reminding them to keep their success in perspective, He thanks the Father for giving His understudies the power and insight they needed to defeat the kingdom of darkness. Mark this down, when you get something done for God, He celebrates that accomplishment with you!

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE PLACE OUR TOTAL CONFIDENCE IN HIM. Heb. 11:6; Psalm 147:11

Cooperstown, New York is home to the famed Baseball Hall of Fame. Inside the facility one can view vintage filmstrips of spectacular moments, look through scores of glass cases chock full of baseball’s most treasured memorabilia, and learn a ton of facts and statistics related to the sport known as “America’ favorite pastime”.
Like the “Hall”, there’s a special place in God’s Word that houses the incredible accomplishments of some of Judaism’s and Christianity’s all-time greats. Names like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, and Moses. Average, run-of-the-mill people who won monster victories by placing their complete confidence in the promises and Person of God. In themselves they were just like you and I. But armed with faith in God, they did exploits that still tingle the ears. It’s interesting that the writer to the Hebrews sandwiches-in a key observation right in the middle of this catalog of “spiritual Who’s-Who”. “Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE God”. The lesson is unmistakable. God is pleased when we take Him at His Word in spite of what the circumstances, surroundings, or people around us may say or think. If you want to make God happy, believe and obey His Word, sight unseen!

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE PROGRESS IN OUR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. Col. 1:10-11

What is it about parenting that makes even the tiniest sign of progress in their child a cause for celebration? When an adult walks, no one could care less. When a matured person talks, instead of celebrating we sometimes wish they’d simply stop. So why is it such a big deal when a baby does these things? Growth. While walking and talking by adults is taken for granted, seeing it happen for the first time in the life of a developing baby is something to celebrate. Each new accomplishment is a step in the direction of personal and social development. God also delights in seeing us grow and mature in our spiritual lives. He desperately wants us to make progress. To learn to walk by faith. To run with perseverance. To speak the truth in love. These are the things He desires for us, and when we give indication that we’re getting it, it makes God very glad.

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE LIVE A SPIRIT- CONTROLLED LIFE. Rom. 8:8

For centuries people all over the globe have been trying to find ways that they hope will please God. Some pray facing Mecca three times a day; others give alms and try to live “good” lives. Still others think that by honoring a personal code of ethics they will curry favor with God. But Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE in the One (Jesus Himself) whom He (the Father) has sent”. Pop culture loves to espouse the idea that we can be our own person, a moral free agent who’s accountable to no one but themselves alone. But, like it or not, we can only serve one of two masters: Christ or Satan. To serve Christ we must be empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. According to Jesus’ own words, this is why the Spirit expressly came. Walking in the Spirit involves living in obedience to what He says, and what He says is found in the objective Word of God, not any subjective personal experience. Jesus showed us how to live a consistently obedient life by earning the Father’s seal of approval and perfect satisfaction with His Son. This kind of lifestyle involves being obedient to His commands, whether in the home or the workplace (Col. 3:18-23).

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE LIVE IN HARMONY WITH FELLOW BELIEVERS. Psa. 133:1-3

Several years ago police arrested a civilian named Rodney King during a race riot in California. His public statement to the press rang out in almost prayer-like passion, “Can’t we all just get along?” Good question Rodney. While the world’s failure here can be explained and excused by the fact that they don’t possess the Holy Spirit, the same cannot be said of the church. We do have the Holy Spirit of God as well as the Word of God to instruct, correct and empower us to “just get along” with one another. When we do so, it sends up a blessing before God. Such harmonious relationships within the body of Christ ate likened to the invigorating effect that the oil of anointing had upon the Aaronic priesthood. Body unity and spiritual harmony are also likened to the refreshing properties of a mountain dew that blankets a thirsty hillside with its life-imparting moisture. Many of the barriers to revival can and will be removed as we get things right amongst ourselves, then reach out to a lost community with the kind of love that the world can’t explain away.

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE FAITHFULLY SUPPORT HIS WORK. Phil. 4:18 ; Heb. 13:16

It’s one of those mysteries and paradoxes of the Christian life. While God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, yet He calls us to give to His work. Surely He could supernaturally provide the support His messengers need, for He did so with Elijah. But God’s not simply after the establishing of an effective ministry supply chain. He’s really all about developing the character of Jesus in our lives. As we give to the work of advancing the Gospel, we become real partakers and invested partners in His work. Paul describes the Philippian church’s practical gifts of support to his ministry in terms of a temple sacrifice. In the Old Testament era, such burnt sacrifices were said to have “wafted up to God”, bringing Him supreme pleasure. Now that’s a new way to see things when it comes time for that offering plate to pass by!

WE MAKE GOD GLAD WHEN WE TRUST IN CHRIST TO FORGIVE AND RESCUE US FROM SIN.
1 Cor.1:21 ; Luke 15:10

We’ve considered a number of things that the Bible tells us bring pleasure to God’s heart, but there’s one thing that “takes the cake”. Because God has such a consuming love for us, nothing can bring Him greater pleasure than to see someone come back into relationship with Him. Reconciliation has to be one of life’s most joyful experiences, and the same holds true for spiritual reconciliation between God and man. Nothing brings more joy to God’s heart than seeing a person understand their need for a Savior, then receive the Lord Jesus into their lives. The Corinthian church was really into “wisdom”, albeit a sometimes warped version of that admirable and desirable trait. Paul does a play on words as He refers to evangelistic preaching as “the wisdom of God”, and calls gospel proclamation “foolishness”. It perfectly suited God’s plan to save people through an unlikely message about a carpenter who died on a tree and rose again from a borrowed grave. Not exactly the stuff of superheroes. But it’s a great plan! Just think, escape from eternal punishment and abundant and eternal life for the asking! If you’re reading this and have yet to trust Christ as your Lord and Savior, there’s no better time to do that then right now. Then we’ll all have something to rejoice together over along with God!