“But without faith it is impossible to please Him—for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6
There’s a difference in “pleasing” and “appeasing”—and only those who know the difference can enjoy the Pilgrimage of faith.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him.”
Pretty powerful statement, isn’t it, Pilgrim? There’s no doubt we want to please Him; the question is what “type” of faith is our anonymous author talking about and how much of it must we have in order to be accepted/acceptable?
Too often we view faith as something we must muster up—a sort of spiritualized “positive thinking” whereby we reject negative, unwholesome or sinful thoughts and replace them with Scripture, Christian clichés, etc. Yet, in the process we wear ourselves out and feel more guilt than we do Grace.
But, such should not be, weary one; in fact, it need not be.
Not when we realize that faith is simply childlike trust in Who God is and what He has promised.
The Greek word “euaresto” is used here for “please” and basically means “to gratify completely, fully-agreeable, well-pleasing, fit, etc.” And, again, this is defined as simply “coming to God and believing/trusting/resting in Who He is (Character) and what He has promised (His Conduct).”
Again, there is a difference in “pleasing” and “appeasing.”
One (pleasing) is in response to someone or something done, while the other (appeasing) is an attempt to gain something from someone, elicit a favorable response, etc. Pleasing’s reward is the pleasure of His smile, while appeasing’s coffers are always bare in a desperate search for love and acceptance.
We should also note that “pleasing faith” is also a “diligent,” not desperate, seeking faith. This doesn’t mean it’s searching for the answers or inner fulfillment; instead, it’s an intense, intentional “hungering and thirsting” to know Christ more and more. Just as one who can’t get enough of chocolate cake and ice cream, so should we have an insatiable desire to “know Jesus, the Power of His Resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” (Phil. 3:10).
Only then will we have true, dynamic faith, not dead faith or demonic faith (James 2:19-20).
And, only then will we love to read His Word. . .know what it means to “abide in Christ” (Jn. 15:1-7). . .“walk in His Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). . .and enjoy the delectable “fruits of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23).
Here’s hoping you have “pleasing faith,” Pilgrim. If so, share it with someone else today; if not, do not rest until you do—for life’s too short (and miserable) to go through with nothing more than wishful thinking.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated March 22, 2011
