Tag: #pleasegod

What Is Acceptable to God?

A Bowl of Encouragement by Herb Cotton

God Speaks:

Psalm 19:14 King James Version (KJV)

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

Listen to God Speak & Obey:

The Psalmist reveals in our focal verse for today two things that God requires in the lives of His people. 

I invite you to focus on these passages and to make God’s desires for you the desires of your heart. Notice what the Psalmist says about the desires of God’s heart and our heart. What God expects of His people He gives them the means to meet His expectations.

Psalm 37:4-5 King James Version (KJV)

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

The Psalmist says that God has desires about what comes out of our mouth. Are the words of your mouth consistently acceptable to God? Test your words using the standard of the Word of God.

Psalm 141:3 King James Version (KJV)

3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Ephesians 4:29 King James Version (KJV)

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

The second thing the Psalmist says is that God has desires about the attitude of our heart. Test your heart using the standard of the Word of God.

Proverbs 4:23 King James Version (KJV)

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 King James Version (KJV)

18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, we come before You with praise on our lips and thanksgiving in our hearts because of the love that You have poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that You have given us.

Father, give us a burning desire to be obedient and dedicated to You every day of our life on earth as it is in heaven. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.


 

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Link to my new devotional book Amazon Author’s Page. Everything about the book is found there with pictures, and more to come.
 

God Speaks – Hear The Word of God

The Wisdom of the Proverbs:

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

The Encouragement of the Psalms:

Psalm 112:1 (NLT)

Praise the LORD! How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands.

Psalm 112:7-8 (NLT)

They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.

They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.

The Hope of the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 30:6 (NLT)

“For this is what the LORD says: All of Egypt’s allies will fall, and the pride of her power will end. From Migdol to Aswan they will be slaughtered by the sword, says the Sovereign LORD.

The Gospel Message:

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Observation:

Today I want to meditate on faith. Everybody needs faith if we desire to know God and be known by Him as one of His children.

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)

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.

I invite you to think of three reasons why we need faith.

  1. We need faith to worship God.

Hebrews 11:4 (NLT)

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

  1. We need faith to do God’s work.

Hebrews 11:7 (NLT)

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

  1. We need faith to walk with God.

Hebrews 11:8-9 (NLT)

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, we know that we need faith that You have already given it to us. Father, give us the willingness and the confidence to put our faith in You.

—

1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
10  And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Listen to all of the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

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How to Be A God Pleaser?

Text:

Proverbs 16:5-7 (NLT)

5  The LORD detests the proud; they will surely be punished.

6  Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil.

7  When people’s lives please the LORD, even their enemies are at peace with them.

Observation:

As I meditate upon this passage, I find so much wisdom in just a few verses.

I am reminded of another passage that reminds us of the importance of guarding our heart.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

23  Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

We need to guard our heart to avoid becoming prideful in the way that the Lord detests the proud.

The verse that admonishes us to live in such a way that our lives will please the Lord grips my heart.

Finally, we see in our focal passage two things that are so important, and they give us the foundation for pleasing God and getting along with people; even our enemies.

Those two virtues are unfailing love and faithfulness. Guard your heart to avoid having a proud heart, and to enable you to have a purposeful heart. In so doing, you will please God, and have favor with people.

Prayer:

Father God, we exalt Your Name. Father, we give you the highest praise from the depths of our heart. Father, we are so thankful for Your unfailing love, and faithfulness. Father, give us sufficient grace to cultivate those virtues in our heart. We pray together, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

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1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)
10  And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Listen to all of the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

Is the Aim of Your Heart to Please God?

Text:

2 Corinthians 5:9 (HCSB)

9  Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.

Observation:

Is the aim and desire of your heart to please God? In the deepest recesses of your heart do you genuinely desire to please God? You can fool others; you can even fool yourself, but you cannot fool God.

1 Samuel 16:7 (HCSB)

7  But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”

One of the things that motivates the desire to please God is this.

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 (HCSB)

10  For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.

11  Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.

I read a story told by a pastor that after preaching a sermon one of the members of the congregation said to him, “Pastor that was a good sermon until you mentioned all of the ‘therefores’ at the end”.

What we believe and how we behave must always be consistent. Whenever we see therefore in the Bible we should ask ourselves the question, ” What is the therefor there for?”.

What motivates you to do God’s will?

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I pray that You would stir within us a burning desire to please You. Father, mold us until what we believe, and how we behave is pleasing in Your eyes. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

Who Is Hearing What You Say?

Text:

Psalm 19:14 (KJV)

14  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Observation:

Is the prayer of the Psalmist your prayer? What comes out of our mouths matter. That is why we are taught from our childhood to guard our speech. I remember this song that was written for children.

” Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say,

For the Father up above,

Is looking down in love,

So be careful little

mouth what you say.”

Is the desire of the Psalmist your desire? He wanted what was in his heart, and came out of his mouth, to be acceptable to the Lord. In another Psalm he said this.

Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)

1  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Oh, that we would each seek to fill our hearts with the Word of God; that we would meditate on that Word regularly eating of it as our daily spiritual bread of life.

Then, when we open our mouth, the words that come from our heart would be wonderful words of life that is worthy for the ears of our heavenly Father, who is looking from above in love for His beloved children.

Let’s join the Psalmist in his desire that our words will be acceptable in the sight of God. If they are acceptable to Him, they will be life giving to others, and ourselves. Our words are heard by three audiences.

  • God
  • Others
  • Ourselves

Psalm 89:1 (ESV)

1  I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

Prayer:

Father, I delight to join Your people of the ages in opening wide my mouth, and singing praises to You for Your steadfast love.

Father, fill our hearts with Your Word, and use our mouths to bless You, and to bless others in Your name. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry