What does it take to please God with your life?
Jesus set the perfect example when He said, “I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). And the Father’s response? “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
Paul echoed this same pursuit when he wrote, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).
That is what the Christian life is about—not just being saved, but living in a way that brings joy to the heart of God. But you cannot aim at a target you cannot see. If we are going to make it our goal to please God, we must know what pleases Him.
The Bible is clear that it is our faith that pleases God. Hebrews 11:4,6 says…
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks… But without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Able understood that it is impossible to please God without faith.
When we read the account of Abel and Cain in Genesis 4, we find that Cain brought the fruit of the ground as a sacrifice to God. According to Scripture, this was totally acceptable.
But when Abel brought his offering of a sheep, it says he brought God his best, “of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering” (4:4). Clearly, Scripture contrasts the quality of Abel’s offering with Cain’s.
Abel offered God his first and his best. Cain offered God his seconds.
Friend, it takes faith to give God your first and your best. Anyone can give God their leftovers after all the bills are taken care of, all their obligations are met, and they do what they want to do with their money.
Those kinds of gifts, however, do not touch the heart of God.
It takes faith to give God your first and best—and He is pleased when we do so.
The Message translation of Proverbs 3:9–10 says, “Honor God with everything you own; give Him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.”
Listen, it takes faith to give—especially in seasons when you’re struggling. And the promise of Scripture is that when you give in faith, God will take care of you.
I used to work picking peaches, and I gave God the first and the best of every paycheck I received. I did the same thing when I worked in a pear orchard. When I built homes, I gave God my first and my best. When I was a waiter at a Mexican restaurant, I gave God my first and my best.
Even when I was in between jobs and for a period of my life when I had to live in a car, I always set aside the first and the best for God. And I can tell you from experience, God has always been faithful in taking care of my family and me.
There were times when it didn’t look like we were going to make it, but as I look back, I can say this and tell you with confidence—God is faithful.
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body.”
Friend, what we do with our time, our resources, and our influence matters—not just in this life, but for eternity.
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