God's Pleasure

I love the line from "Chariots of Fire" when athlete Eric Liddell says, "When I run I feel God's pleasure."

Have you ever felt the pleasure of God?

Reading in 1 Corinthians 10 Paul writes: "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased..."

He wasn't pleased?  Gracious look at the list of those do-gooders.  Check out the number of times the word "all" is used, indicating obedience by everyone. Yet, with most, God was not well pleased.

Caught up in appearance, visibly their actions seemed compliant, yet their hearts were complacent and callous. The verses that follow that passage tell us that they had fallen into lust, idol worship, sexual immorality, temptations and complaining.  No wonder God wasn't "well pleased".

All outwardly looked the same.  All traveled together.  All experienced the powerful work of God.  All heard the same sermons.  All recognized the Lord.  Yet obviously something set a few apart who received God's pleasure.

Here was my takeaway.

Association isn't enough.  Just being with Moses didn't add their names to the hall of faith fame.

Adapting to a certain behavior or ritual isn't enough.  It says each one was baptized.

Activity isn't enough.  You can never be busy enough to avoid temptations lure.

Assembly isn't enough.  We know they were "all" together.  We heard that several times.

God is looking for abiding.  It's only by spending time with the Lord personally and intimately that when trials and temptations come we are going to have the strength in Him to resist, stand, and in the end know His pleasure...the pleasure of His well done, good and faithful servant.

God's pleasure is found when we choose Him in all.  Before we knew the Lord as our Savior, we sinned mostly due to our sinful nature.  Once we receive Christ, sin becomes a choice.

What are you choosing today?  Sadly, this Scripture could be written today, "But with most of them God was not well pleased..."

However, it does mean that with a few of them He was pleased.  Are you part of the "most" or the "minority"?

Let's bring God pleasure today that His Name may be glorified in the choices we make.