ROMANS 8:8

“and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

I like keeping things short and sweet. I used to teach Houseparents in the Children’s Homes where I worked how to deescalate an unruly child. One of the best ways is to give them clear and concise instructions. You know, the K.I.S.S. philosophy – Keep It Simple Stupid. That probably sounds rude, but that method works with kids. Keep our rules and expectations short and sweet. Why do you think God gave us the ten commandments and not one hundred?

Paul says it very concisely in verse 8 of Romans 8. If you are in the flesh, you cannot please God. The word for “please” is areskó which carries with it the idea of “winning someone’s favor because you are meeting their expectation.” (HELPS Word-studies) The word is used 17 times in the New Testament in reference to pleasing God or pleasing men. One of those should be our priority, right?

APPLICATION

Paul talks about this battle between pleasing God and pleasing men in Galatians 1:10. “For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”  Paul was not concerned with trying to please people. His sole devotion was to pleasing God, even to the point of imprisonment and death.

In Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4:1 he says, “Finally then, brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel even more.” Pleasing the Lord should be part of our daily walk, not just on special occasions. I cannot please my wife just on special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. It has to be a daily choice. The same holds true with God.

You have to remember that God knows our very thoughts. He knows our motivations for pleasing Him long before we do or say anything. Pleasing God is a heart decision. That’s why Paul tells us that if we are pleasing the flesh, we will never please God. So, the question is before us. Do we seek to please ourselves, others or God? We have to make a choice. But choose wisely. Don’t try to ride the fence with this decision. Please the One who loves you unconditionally and with an everlasting love.

Father in heaven, forgive me for the times I have sought to please myself or others before You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis).