09/19/2022
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
"Learn How to Please the Lord"
I’ve heard plenty of guys joke about how much trouble they have learning to please their wives. One guy complained, “Just when I think I know what she wants from me, she changes her mind!” Relationships are not the only place where we have to learn to please someone. Paul points this out in Ephesians 4:8-10… “…you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
The phrase "find out what pleases the Lord" is fascinating. It implies that we don't really know what is pleasing to the Lord. Paul doesn't mean we should learn what is pleasing to the Lord in an academic way. Remember, Paul also told us to "walk in light." This means we can't just "know" what pleases God, but must act on it as well. If we know in our heads what pleases God, but don't do it in our everyday lives, our knowledge is useless. The way to learn what is pleasing to the Lord is to go through our daily lives and try to make decisions that best reflect Him. Through our quiet times with Him as well as through our mistakes and successes, we can learn what pleases the Lord.
We won't instinctively know what decisions will please the Lord. In fact, the Bible tells us that we will instinctively make the wrong choices. However, that is why we must renew our minds daily, and walk with the Lord. The Holy Spirit within us will teach us how to walk and please the Lord. We must read our Bibles, pray and be patient! Remember, learning isn't an instant thing… it takes time. Sometimes it can take days, or years. We need to keep at it even when the results don’t come right away.
