When you look at Abel’s life (Genesis 4), do you ever think that you have to be perfect in order to please God?
Some people view God as an impossible taskmaster with impossibly high expectations. Ever think that way?
Here’s the deal: like any loving parent, God has expects his kids to act a certain way. (Think of your parents’ expectations for you.) Some Christians may tell you about God’s expectations based on where they are in their walk with him. An abundance of advice often contributes to the belief that God expects way too much. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you might be listening to others’ expectations, rather than God’s.
So, how can you please God? The story of Cain and Abel gives a significant piece to the puzzle. Both of these men brought something to God; yet only Abel’s sacrifice pleased God. One reason was because Cain’s heart was not really in his offering. He tried to please God out of obligation instead of love.
The first step in pleasing God is to examine our motivation for doing so. Do we really want to please him, or are we going through the motions because someone told us we should?
Obedience is the second step to pleasing God. It means loving him enough to listen to what he says, then following through on what we know he tells us to do.
Through the Holy Spirit, God speaks to us as we come to him with willing hearts. He gently shows us areas in our lives that we need to examine and change according to his timetable, not someone else’s.
