Misguided

When cooking a meal for someone special, it is best to first find out what foods they enjoy. When trying to do something nice for someone, it is prudent to first discover their needs and desires. When buying a gift for someone we should first learn their interests. To really please someone, we consider what we can do that will please them. Otherwise we will miss the mark, doing something that doesn’t please them.

To please God, we must first ask what does please God. Colossians 1:10 says, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” According to this verse, we can do two things that are fully pleasing to God. First, we can do good works that bear fruit for His glory. Secondly, we can grow in the knowledge of God. Trying to do the first, without doing the second is useless. We must know God before we can do any good work that will bring Him glory.

People often get this backwards. They think that they must do good deeds before they can know God. They form long lists of rites, festivals, self-deprecating works, and things that they can and cannot do. They demand strict adherence to these lists in order to practice their religion. They are relying on self effort to be good enough to please God.

God is not impressed with these human efforts to know Him. He sent Jesus Christ to be our salvation and redemption because He knew that we could not redeem ourselves. We cannot please God without first knowing Him as Savior and Lord. Then we will be able to understand His Word and thereby know what pleases Him.