What Pleases God - Series - Intro

After this post from a few days ago: Love, Holy Spirit I've been thinking a lot about what it means to please God. As I wrote in that post, God showed and confirmed for me that I already had His approval and love because of His most beautiful and amazing grace. I didn't have to do anything to earn it and I could take my eyes off of me. That revelation was so free-ing to my soul.

*** After that though, He started planting seeds that I shouldn't lose my desire to please Him. ***

I used to strive to please Him to seek His approval. Now I should stive to please Him out of gratitude for a saved and changed life.

I used to do things so that He would be proud of me. Now I should desire to do things because He is so worthy of everything in me.

I used to focus on me so much even in quiet time with Him. Now He is helping me in all times focus on Him and do for Him and be with Him just out of love for Him.

He's helping me desire to seek Him just out of love. Out of thankfulness.

I want to write that again.... To desire to please Him because I love Him that much. Not to feel better about me.... but to show my gratitude & love for Him.

So I started looking up in the Word what pleases God. What does it LOOK like when one is living a life pleasing to God? What does it really mean to live for Him relevant to my life right now?

I am sure this is such basic learning for so many but I love breaking things down to the beginning foundational truths I know. I never want to lose the awe and beauty in the most basic foundational message of our Gospel. It's so easy to get bogged down in theories, doctrines, complex answers.... and I do pray He will guide me as I try to navigate through some of that thinking.... but I pray He keeps me passionate about the simple, foundational truths that are life and world changing.

I especially love to "go back" to these foundational lessons whenever I have such a heart revelation like this one last week--- because it's like I'm looking at them through a different lens! Like learning them again for the first time.

So from now until I finish doing this (however long it takes I guess) I will (daily?) post a verse that shows me what pleases God and then add in some thoughts on it.