Advice for Pleasing God: Isaiah 33

Isaiah 33:15-16 (ESV) offers wonderful advice for how to please God:

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
    who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
    who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
    and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
he will dwell on the heights;
    his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
    his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

The first line is straightforward: It requests that we conduct ourselves, both in action and in speech, according to God's commandments.

The next two lines caution against attempting to accumulate earthly pleasures and treasures through means that violate the first line. Simply put, earthly gains mean nothing to God, and worse, earthly gains greatly anger God if they are acquired through sinful ways.

The fourth and fifth lines demand that, in addition to obeying God, we also must avoid condoning when others disobey God. That is, sin is toxic, whether conducted by us or others. Avoid all sources of sin.

The final three lines describe the rewards that accrue to those who obey God.

Isaiah 33:15-16 not only provides great advice, but it also serves as an effective prayer. Try reciting it a few times throughout this day.

Paul's Road to Damascus Conversion

If you could be transported back in time to witness one biblical event, which would it be? The transfiguration, the last supper, the crucifixion, the resurrection? All of those are great choices.

But my choice: Paul's "Road to Damascus" conversion. The story appears three times in Acts, in chapters 9, 22, and 26. Paul also alludes to the event several times in his letters, specifically 1 Corinthians and Galatians.

The early church needed someone with multiple citizenships, so that he could travel across borders. The early church needed someone highly-educated and well-versed in philosophy. The early church needed someone who could write in elegant Greek, yet communicate in Aramaic and Hebrew. The early church needed one of its fiercest enemies to make a dramatic, and highly conspicuous, turn toward God. And, perhaps most importantly, the early church needed that person to suffer greatly, in order to demonstrate that his conversion wasn't about accumulating material gains for himself.

That person was Paul.

It's hard to imagine an event that has so-altered the course of history. Even if you're already familiar with the story of Paul's conversion, go back and re-read those three chapters in Acts. I always come away amazed at God's power to accomplish whatever he wants.

In our prayers, we should humble ourselves before that power, and acknowledge the inevitability of God's will. Then, we should volunteer as instruments in God's plan, in whatever way he needs us.

Esau Sell's His Birthright

Genesis 25 tells the story of Esau, who comes in from the field exhausted and hungry, selling his birthright to his younger brother Jacob in return for some stew. At that time, family possessions and blessings typically passed through the eldest sons, but after the transfer of birthright, God's plan for humanity operated through Jacob's bloodline, all the was down to Jesus.

But what exactly did Esau do wrong? Was selling his birthright really a sin? According to Hebrews 12:16-17 (ESV), the answer is "yes,"

[Esau] sold his birthright for a single meal ... afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Esau desired a pleasant, yet fleeting, satisfaction in the form of stew. And to gain that satisfaction, he turn his back to heavenly promises.

Do we do the same? As we seek to satisfy our cravings, or accumulate earthly possessions, or gain the admiration of others, or increase our social status -- do we turn our backs to God's will, even for just a moment?

We're all guilty of such actions. As we pray, we should recall those moments when we acted in such ways, and repent.

Keep Striving in Faith

We should view faith as a lifelong journey, a journey that involves a constant desire to keep God's commandments, and a constant desire to exalt him, not ourselves. We must avoid thirsting for earthly approval or adoration, which, in all cases, eventually withers away anyway. Instead we must strive for heavenly approval.

During this journey, there inevitably will be times when we struggle. There will be times when we stray from God's will. Equally damaging, there will be times when, becoming distracted by the pursuits of this world, we begin to drift away from our spiritual objectives and become lax in religious zeal.

We must fight through those struggles! We never should become complacent in spirituality. Don't wait for God to come to you; actively seek him!

I take great comfort from Paul. Arguably the most impactful Christian, Paul also had those spiritual struggles that we all experience! In his letter to the Philippians, after describing what he wished to achieve through faith, Paul then admits (3:12-14, ESV),

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own ... But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

A Vision of Heaven

My last several posts have been rather dour, with emphasis on sin and contrition. So for today's post, let's turn to something far more pleasant!

Chapter 37 of the book of Ezekiel includes a prophesy of a reunited kingdom of Israel. Yet, the prophesy also serves as an obvious vision of heaven. As written in Ezekiel 37:25-27 (ESV),

They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

This beautiful promise of peaceful union with God gives us hope. In your prayers today, meditate on this vision, and try to feel even a fraction of that peace!

God's Arms Are Always Open

Every moment of every day, we face forks in the road of life. For every one of those forks, one branch pleases God, and one branch does not. We should look back at the decisions we've made at each of those forks. Each of us, at one time or another, has picked the wrong branch, either through carelessness or through deliberate disobedience to God. As written in 1 John 1:8 (ESV),

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

God wants us to strive for spiritual perfection, but when we inevitably fall short of that goal, he wants us humbly to acknowledge those sins. As written in Joel 2:12-13 (ESV),

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.

Note the line "rend your hearts and not your garments.'' What God seeks, above all else, is a humble heart filled with genuine remorse. Keep the words of Joel on your mind today as you pray.

Prayers of Contrition

Throughout the Bible, the prayers to which God most often responds involve some form of confession. God desires a humble and contrite heart, and that means that, in our prayers, we constantly must offer our contrition.

Now, to unbelievers, that might sound like a depressing manner in which to live one's life. After all, how can it possibly be enjoyable to constantly be confessing our imperfections and sins? Paul gives the answer to this question in Romans 6:22 (ESV), where he explains that humbly submitting to God leads to eternal life!

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

So conducting our lives in humble and contrite fashion is not depressing at all. Rather, it leads to the glorious hope of eternal life!

So today, in your prayers, issue a heartfelt confession to God. Here is a good example from Jeremiah 31:18-19 (ESV),

You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,
    like an untrained calf;
bring me back that I may be restored,
    for you are the Lord my God.
 For after I had turned away, I relented,
    and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh;
I was ashamed, and I was confounded,
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.

Endurance in Faith

Living in faith allows us to bask in God's peace. As Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 4 (ESV),

... in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

But living in such faithful peace also carries a large responsibility. Specifically, we cannot backslide into sinful ways. Hebrews chapter 10:26-27 states (ESV),

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Note the phrase "if we go on sinning." The phrase doesn't say "if we sin," because sin is an unfortunate, and uniquely earthly, part of life, even among believers. But as believers, when we sin, we must recognize that sin and repent. As Luke writes in Acts 3:19 (ESV),

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.

Don't wait for God's punishment. In our prayers, we should explore our hearts and actions for thoughts and deeds that run counter to God's will, and humbly ask for forgiveness. Then we can return to walking in God's peace!

Exalt God, and God Alone

I once heard Jack Graham say that most sin is the consequence of not enough prayer. I agree completely. Related, I once heard Charles Stanley say that, if you're having trouble praying, that's a good sign that you need to get on your knees and pray. Those guys are much smarter than me, so I won't try to expand upon their points.

Instead, let me add that, in addition to insufficient prayer, many sins stem from our desire to seek earthly approval, whether from friends, colleagues, neighbors, family, and even strangers. Our desire to gain approval and seek praise from others often leads us to act in ways that run counter to God's will.

So don't seek to exalt yourself. Rather, live to exalt God. As written in Isaiah 2:22 (ESV),

Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?