Romans 8:8 What Pleases God?

                                                 
Romans 8:8 “and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

If those in the flesh can't please God? What pleases God?

God is pleased when we worship Him and bless Him with our life of service. Be still and know that God is God. Psalm 46:10 Remember what He has done for you in the past and know that he doesn't change. He will do for you, the same as He has done for others. He will do for you again as He has in the past done for you.

Here is a list I have found, on what pleases God.
Hope in God's mercy. Psalm 147:11
Faith Hebrews 11:6
Mind set on the Spirit. Romans 8:5-8
Walk with God. Genesis 5:24
Fear the Lord. Psalm 147:11: Proverbs 2:1-5
Follow the example of Jesus. Matthew 17:5; Philippians 2:5-11
God takes pleasure in obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22; Matthew 6:6
Offer a sacrifice of praise to God,  Hebrews 13:15-16
Doing good and sharing. Hebrews 13:15-16
Do God's will. Hebrews 13:20-21
Go beyond God's will/commands and do what is pleasing in His sight. 1 John 3:22
Matthew 3:17 The Father was well pleased with Jesus.
John 8:29 Jesus always does things that are pleasing to the Father.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”
John 12:42-43 Confessing Christ will gain the praise and favor of God. Many would rather gain mans' favor which would not be pleasing to God.
Proverbs 16:7 “When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
John 15:8 The Father is glorified by us bearing much fruit!
Ezekiel 33:11 God takes pleasure in the wicked repenting and living. Ezekiel 18:23

Hope
Hope in God's mercy Psalm 147:11 This passage is what God wants us to do. To hope in His lovingkindness or mercy. Verse 10 says that God does not take pleasure in man's strength or that of horses. Horses can refer to the technology man has used to make a more powerful military. God is not impressed in our military might or our physical strength. We can gain strength by waiting on God in the secret place. Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 91:1

Faith
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Faith comes from hearing God's word. We hear, not just with our physical ears, but also in the spirit with our spiritual ears. Hearing with spiritual ears is having the attitude of taking God's word to heart and using it to produce fruit with perseverance.

Our belief and faith in God is our basis of life in Christ. I have written often on faith. See these articles here.

Mind set on the Spirit 
Mind set on the Spirit instead of the flesh is what is being taught here in the first part of Romans 8. Romans 12:1-2 presents a way that renews and directs our mind correctly.

Walk with God
Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” What does it mean to walk with God? It is to walk in communion with God and in the ways of God.
Genesis 6:9 Noah was righteous, blameless,  and he walked with God. He wound favor with God.
In Malachi 2:6, priests did not listen and did not take God's word to heart.
And what is the purpose of listening and taking God's word to heart?
To give honor to God's name.

Therefore your blessing will turn to a curse. When we listen and take heed, the blessing that is our is available for us to use.
:
God's covenant is one of life and peace.
When we hear God, we have life. John 6:63 And when we hear God we have peace. John 16:33 In Isaiah 55:12 it says, we are to go out with joy and be led forth with peace. When we have God speaking to us through the Bible, in our mind, by our conscience and dreams and visions, through others and the still small voice. There is peace when we hear God. We have strength when we have joy. Nehemiah 8:10 If we lack joy from the Lord there is no strength. Isaiah 40:31 says we will gain strength when we wait on the Lord. When we wait on the Lord we gain joy of the Lord. So wait at least as long till the joy of the Lord comes.

When joy and peace leave return to the Lord. We should not wait for the joy to leave. Instead, return to the Lord often to maintain the joy and peace.

Our walk with God brings relationship, and this relationship will bring joy and peace. Don't let the problems of the world and the concern that this brings take away the joy and peace of Jesus. Without the strength of the Lord you  can't do any good. Effectiveness comes from moving in the Spirit of God. Present your requests to the Lord in the evening and rise with God's blessing each morning.

Revelation 3:4 We can walk with God, because we are worthy. Sin will cause us to not be able to be at peace with God or ourselves. We cleanse ourselves by reading the word and believing it. John 15:3 It is not our good works that cleanse us. It is believing the blood of Jesus has in the past cleansed us. Our conscience will be renewed in Scripture. John 15:3 Walk in the Scripture with confidence.

Fear the Lord
Some say reverence instead of fear. These two words are two sides of the same coin.  If we live in disobedience there should be fear to get right with God. If we are walking in the Spirit there is reverence. Proverbs 2:1-5 gives a definition of the fear of God and how it works.

Receive God's words. Take them to heart and believe them and follow them. Treasure God's commands by meditating, memorizing and praying them. Make your ear attentive to wisdom and understanding, by taking time to learn God's precepts and listing to the Lord in how to put them into practice. Cry for discernment, by not just reading the Bible but cry out to God for better ways to use of what you are learning. Lifting your voice in prayer to God and asking others for how to follow God. Seeking and searching the Scriptures for God's answers, the hidden treasures in the Scriptures.

Follow the example of Jesus.
For years I thought that was impossible and never heard anyone teach this. Then I read that Jesus was the first born among all creation. Colossians 1:15 We are a new creation at salvation. Something changes within, at salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Jesus was the first and we are his brothers and sisters.

We are to walk as Jesus walked .1 John 2:6 We are called to follow Jesus. Matthew 4:19 How does this work out? It happens as the promises become alive in us. It is not just knowing what the Bible promises. It is believing that all the the promises in the Bible are yes as we believe them with the faith coming from God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

Follow the example of Jesus.
Have the attitude that Jesus had. Philippians 2:5-11

Turn away from what you have, to be free to serve as you are led. Sometimes we can use what we have for Christ. Other times God calls us to a work where we need to get rid of things that are in the way.

When we die to our wants and give our life to Jesus, he replaces our desires with His. Our wants change.

God takes pleasure in obedience. 
Deuteronomy 26:16 Accept God's direction and do them with all your heart and mind. See also Deuteronomy 32:46
Joshua 1:8 When we meditate on Scripture it becomes part of us. We then are able to do it with the leading of God's Spirit through the Bible. God wants us to keep the commands of Jesus, which is loving God and others. John 15:10,12

Offer a sacrifice of praise to God,  Hebrews 13:15-16
Why a sacrifice? It is not a sacrifice of giving things up, but devotion to God.
And we are to to it continually. Look at the study I made on the things we are to do always.
We love God and the way to love others is to do good for them. V16 These things please God.

Do God's will. Hebrews 13:20-21
As we work for God in the things we were made to do, it pleases Him. Ephesians 2:10 We work to give glory to God. Deflect the glory others want to give you and give that glory to God.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”
We all have been entrusted with the gospel. Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 4:19 Don't seek the pleasure of men but of God in what you do. Galatians 1:10 A mind set on the Spirit will not worry about the recognition of man. John 5:44

John 12:42-43 Confessing Christ will gain the praise and favor of God. Many would rather gain mans' favor which would not be pleasing to God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.”

Acknowledge the Lord in all you do! He is the one who will make your way of life effective. A good synonym of acknowledge is to declare. Declare God is with you and helping you in all you do. In all your ways declare God is working. If the results are being ostracized by others, be glad and leap for joy. Your reward will be great in heaven. Luke 6:22-23

If we go to John 12:24 we see there is no fruit if we don't die to our fleshly wants. When we confess Christ in our life, we are declaring He is active not only in us but also others as they rely on Him. We die to our hope of worldly gain by doing this. But there is a hope of spiritual gain by influencing others.

The Father is glorified by us bearing much fruit! John 15:8
John 15 discusses our relationship to God as a vine and branches. We produce fruit as we abide with Christ. So God is glorified as we abide in Christ. You can't abide in Christ and ignore what He says. When we make Christ our source we follow His teachings.

God takes pleasure in the wicked turning from death to life. Ezekiel 33:11; Ezekiel 18:23
If God takes pleasure in the wicked turning to Christ. He will take pleasure as we take His instructions of going to sharing the Gospel with others.

You can't do any of the things written here effectively without your mind set on the Spirit of God. It is my experience that sharing the gospel is hard.  And I find that as I die to myself and live for God I am able to go and the love of God comes to me to help other people. This dying is not just a short prayer but a meditation of Scriptures and letting them change my mindset.

Go to the next verse.

Return to the Index