Today : Pleasing Or Trusting God?
TODAY’S VERSE
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
TODAY’S THOUGHT
In their book “True Faced” the authors pose this following scenario. “As we’re walking down life’s road, we arrive at a tall pole with signs pointing in two different directions. The marker leading to the left simply says, ‘Pleasing God.’ The one leading to the right reads, ‘Trusting God.’ It’s hard to choose one over the other, because both roads have a good feel to them. There is no third road. We must choose one.” At first glance it seems obvious to me. I want to “please God” more than anything. I want to bring Him joy and thank Him for everything He does. Or at least that is where my mind starts. In truth, what is “pleasing God” really about? Is it really about God and how much I want to thank Him by pleasing Him? Or is it really about me and how I want to make sure God is happy with my behavior? Is it really more about my own insecurity and inability to receive His unconditional love? The right answer is that we should choose the “trusting God” fork in the road. Why? Because with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we already please God. Paul reminds us that we are saved by God’s grace, not by any of our own works. No behavior on our part could ever please God the way His own grace does. God loves us and we don’t need to earn it by “pleasing” Him. Instead, when we really realize what grace is all about, we will want to trust Him fully. When that happens, it will be our praise and adoration that pleases Him, not our vain efforts to gain His love.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, please help me. It is so hard for me to understand that I don’t have to earn Your love in order to please You. Instead, You already love me. You are already pleased with me. Help me to really understand this. Thank You, Father, for all the grace You have given me.
AMEN
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I trust that God really loves me
Trust is more than an intellectual conclusion. It is a heart knowledge. Today picture yourself alone in a quiet peaceful place. As you sit there, God comes by. He sees you, and you start to worry. What is He thinking? You ask yourself, “Is God pleased with me? But then you feel His presence. It is a warm, accepting love. You sense His desire to love you. He say, “I love you because I have chosen to love you.” A rush comes over your soul as you begin to understand that you can really trust His love for You. His word is true and His love is even truer! You affirm, “I trust that God really loves me!”