“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3 KJV)
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NLT)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV)
The quickest way to please God (put a smile on His face) is to live by faith. I believe the reason that faith pleases God so greatly is because He knows first hand just how great a life of faith is. He lives by faith. Everything that exists was created by faith. I have heard it said many times (and I agree 100%) that God is a “Faith God.”
My spiritual life began by faith that was given to me. God gave me “the measure of faith.” When I used it to recognize that He existed He imparted His grace (divine favor and empowerment) to use that faith to make Jesus the Lord of my life and in turn rewarded me by giving me His salvation. He is so good!
God is a giver. He gets great pleasure out of rewarding those who come to Him in faith. Some of my best memories are the looks on my kids’ faces when they opened presents that I gave them. To watch the joy that they expressed as they started playing with a new toy was great, but the best part was when they would run over and jump on me with a big hug that would knock me over. When my kids acknowledged that I was their Dad, and appreciated that I was a “rewarder,” it thrilled my heart. Now that my kids have grown up, one of the “warm fuzzies” that brings a smile to my face is when they show me love through t-shirts that say things like, “Papasaurus” and “The best Dads get promoted to Papa.” This simple act of giving is their way of recognizing who I am, and expressing the fact that they appreciate the way I gave to them as they were raised. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. He is thrilled when we run to Him in faith in every life situation and circumstance. When we acknowledge through our words and actions that He exists, and recognize that He longs to reward us, it brings Him joy.
Try to remember…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 52: “Faith puts a smile on God’s face.”