“Teach me to do Your will ...”
                                                                      Psalm 143:10
Dearly beloved in Christ, I greet you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul the apostle advises us to find out “...what is acceptable to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:10). When we do what is acceptable to the Lord, He will be pleased with us and will do for us that which is good for us. David had devoted himself to do what was pleasing to the Lord, and that is why his descendants were blessed. Today if you would devote yourself to do things that are pleasing to the Lord, He is faithful to bless you. As Joseph did what pleased his father, Jacob in his old days made a cloak of different colours. It is written: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colours.” (Gen. 37:3). As you do something pleasing to others, there arises a liking, love or intimacy. A husband who buys something that is liked by the wife makes way for joy in the family. Thus a wife also makes food liked by the husband to pacify him or to forget some bitterness in the past to establish joy in the family. Today let us begin to do things that please the Lord. When we are transformed thus, the Lord God does great things in us and also in those around us. Let us learn what pleases the Lord and attempt to do them then He will be pleased with us. The Lord Himself makes it clear what pleases Him. When we try to please Him, we would inherit the blessings of obedience. He teaches us what pleases Him. In Psalm 32:8, He says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Again in Isaiah 48:17, He assures us, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “ I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.” Many a time we are not able to understand His teaching and to act accordingly as the worldly things have a hold on us. Here let us examine what pleases the Lord and the blessings that follow when we act according to His wishes.
WHAT PLEASES THE LORD?
1. OBEDIENCE “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” (Col. 3:20). Obedience is an act that pleases the Lord. But many times we do not understand the exaltation that follows, and so we do not attach importance to His words though we know them. We do things that hurt the Lord. (i) Obeying the Voice of the Lord Samuel said to Saul: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam 15:22). The Lord God asked Saul through the prophet Samuel to annihilate the Amalekites. Saul who had been anointed as the first king disregarded the word of God and took the best of the cattle and brought the king also alive. He had been told to totally do away with the living, but he did not do so. His disobedience led to the loss of greater blessing, the throne of the kingdom. We should listen to the word of God and carryout the instructions fully with the whole heart. That is obedience. Besides, the Bible says, “When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your​ fathers which He swore to them.” (Deut. 4:30, 31). If you listen to the voice of the Lord, He will not forsake you but protect you as He is merciful. There are so many people who are forsaken by the husband, by the wife, by parents, and so on. There are people forsaken by doctors and are on the verge of death in tears. But our Lord is always merciful. If you have this attribute of obeying Him, He will do a miracle and will not forsake you. He does miracles that are beyond the reach of medicine, science or wisdom. His acts of love will wipe away your tears. Let us be transformed to obey Him wholeheartedly to please Him through our obedience. (ii) Obeying the Servants of God When we obey the servants of God, our relationship with the Lord is restored. This is what we see in the life of Samuel in 1 Samuel third chapter. The Lord called Samuel. He was then in the temple of God serving under Eli. As he was sleeping one day, the Lord called him by name. He had never before heard the voice of the Lord and, therefore, he rose and went to Eli. But Eli told him that he did not call him. He went back to bed. Again there was the call of the Lord. This time also he went to Eli and reported. Again he denied having called him. A third time the Lord called Samuel and again he went to Eli. Now Eli understood that it must be the voice of the Lord and advised him to respond to any such call by saying, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” He did as he was told and he became one who heard the voice of the Lord. He then became a great prophet who heard the voice of the Lord ever so many times. Beloved in Christ, it is an important duty of the servants of God to make you connect to God in direct relationship. It is the responsibility of servants of the Lord to make us respond to the voice of the Lord in obedience. When we accept their suggestions, we would have a good intimate relationship with the Lord. 
(iii) Obeying in Sincere Love “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” 1 Peter 1:22 It is an act of purifying the soul to obey in sincere love of the brethren. Today Jesus Christ who is the lover of the soul strengthens and satisfies the soul. Through obedience we are made pure in our relationships by the Lord by pouring this love into us. It is a privilege given through obedience. When we obey the Lord, our descendants are blessed. Through Abraham we are blessed: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Gen. 22:18). Obedience pleases the Lord. When we do that, we inherit blessings for generations. 2. PLEASING THE LORD WITH SONGS “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves” (Psalm 69:30,31). James the apostle advises: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” ( James 5:13). Some sing as they take bath. Sometimes people sing when they grip with fear in darkness. Some whistle or hum songs as they pass through deserted paths. We sing songs in happiness. (i) New Songs Given by the Lord The Lord lifts us up from miry clay and put us up on a rock and gives us a new song. He gives us the grace to sing a new song. Psalm 40:3 says: “He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.” As we are happy, the Lord gives us the heart to sing. Psalm 147:1 tells us: “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” As we sing praises to the Lord, our thoughts are focussed on the acts of the Lord and they are set right. As we sing songs praising God in the church, our thoughts are being made to concentrate on the act of seeking the Lord and His presence.  It is the power of songs that make us forget our vain thought of worldly worries, and agonies and we are made to be right with God. That is why it is good and pleasant to sing praises to God. They direct us to make the right decisions to rely on God and give us a good heart. (ii) Songs of Deliverance “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 The Lord surrounds us. Psalm 5:12 says: “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.” In Psalm 32:10 we read: “...But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.” As He surrounds us, we are protected and are blessed to be exalted in several ways. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 125:2). The Lord who surrounds us is alive. “For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” (Zechariah 2:5). These songs of deliverance protect and give us several good things through His miraculous acts. There arose thoughts of suicide in a good brother because of troubles in life. But the Lord sent the songs of deliverance and delivered him in a wonderful way. He heard the song: “Just as I am, without one plea” The Lord made him hear it and prevented him from making the wrong decision. He changed his stand. Our Lord works through songs in a wonderful way. (iii) Song of Triumph In the Bible we read of incidents when songs wer​esung. “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!” (Exodus 15:20,21).  This is a song of triumph. Our Lord gives us victory. You may have tasted defeat and be in sorrow. The Bible says: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57). The victory that we have in life is from the Lord. You may see people in defeat in several areas of life – defeat in examinations, in seeking jobs, in family life with no children, in troubles and tribulations of life, and so on. But the Lord gives us victory in life. When you become pleasing to God, He has love on us and through His love we have victory. As we act according to His guidance, He will transform everything into victory and give us songs of triumph. We sing songs praising the Lord as He has done great things in life. The psalmist sings: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.” (Psalm 28:7).  Through songs He blesses us in several ways. “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” (Isaiah 43:21). As singing praises pleases Him, let us please Him so and be blessed. We read how the power of the Lord manifested against those who came against King Jehoshaphat and they fought among themselves and were slain. It is recorded: “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” (2 Chronicles 20:22).  Again in Acts 16:25,26 we have the demonstration of the power of the Lord in answer to prayer and singing: “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” In our life too we may feel imprisoned in perils and problems. As you sing praises of the Lord, their very foundation will be shaken by the Lord who acts and makes you have joy.

3. DEAL TRUTHFULLY “

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.” Proverbs 12:22 The Lord is faithful. “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”(2 Thes. 3:3). He desires truthfulness in all our dealings. It is written how David with a true broken heart of repentance humbled himself: “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” (Psalm 51:6). There is one aspect in which the Lord finds fault with us. We come to Him with the words of our mouth; yet our hearts are far away. “Therefore the Lord said: “ Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.” (Isaiah 29:13, 14). We should refrain from making untrue statements before Him. In our speech we are not truthful. The Bible questions: “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Psalm 94:9). We should be careful of what we speak before Him. When we are not faithful and true to the Lord, we do things which are abominable and displeasing to the Lord. We should speak the truth. We should call upon Him truly and sincerely. Psalm 145:18 says: “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” If we are truthful in whatever we do, the Lord will certainly bless us. What the Lord expects from us is to speak the truth, to worship Him truly, and to love Him truly. If we try to please and serve Him this way, He will bless all that we do. In our work place we should be faithful and true. It is written in 2 Chr. 34:12, And the men did the work faithfully.  Do we lead such a witnessing life in our workplace? Or is the name of the Lord put to disrepute because of us? When we are faithful, there are a lot of blessings for us. Psalm 31:23 exhorts us, “Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.” Daniel was faithful in his work and therefore none could find fault with him. “So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.” (Daniel 6:4). Proverbs 28:20 assures us, “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” Let us be truthful and faithful wherever we are so that the Lord could bless, exalt and guide us. 4. TURN FROM WICKED WAYS AND LIVE “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” Ezekiel 18:23 Turning from wicked ways is to realize one’s sins and to commit to a way escaping the punishment that should follow. You find that undesirable incidents continue to happen in our lives as we do not do what pleases God. Turning from sin very much pleases God. The Bible says that there is much happiness over one sinner who repents.Today how are you? Have you repented of your sin? When a person realizes his sins and turns away from it, he would get back the lost blessings. Jesus Christ preached the parable of the Prodigal Son. The second son went away from the heavenly Father. He did not like to retain good relationship with his brother. In his life of prodigality and sinfulness he lost all his wealth. If we also go away from the way of the Lord, we would lose all the blessings of good health, peace and happiness we have in the Lord. When we return to the Lord God, even though we are unworthy, He accepts us and gives us back all that we have lost through His grace. When Samson requested he Lord sincerely  to give back the strength he had lost one more time, the Lord gave him the strength to pull the pillars and make the building collapse killing the Philistines there. He killed many more then than the number of persons he had killed earlier. Thus he was strengthened to kill all his enemies. Dearly beloved in Christ, if you turn over a new leaf in your life knowing how you can please the Lord and obey Him truly and are filled with the traits that pleases the Lord, you will certainly be blessed by the Lord.

                                    May the Lord bless us!

                                In the service of Christ Jesus,

                                   Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.