… whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Summary: What pleases God? The answer, in short, is love. In practical terms, love leads us to a host of things that honor God and benefit those around us.
I love how the Bible continually agrees with itself. If Jesus says that all the law and the prophets can be summarized in two commandments, it follows that what he says is true. As it turns out, there is nothing I’ve found in the Old Testament to contradict him. For that matter, what he said holds true for the New Testament as well.
In his follow-up to his teaching about the flesh leading to destruction, Paul teaches us that sowing to please the Spirit will lead to eternal life. The question that naturally follows is, “How?” How do we sow to please the Spirit?
Fortunately, both Paul and Jesus point the way. (This is where we see agreement with another part of the Bible.) Paul points us in the right direction, and Jesus tells us how to get there in his lessons called the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12).
Jesus begins with the poor in spirit. These are people who are humble and childlike. Then he blesses those who mourn—that is, all who recognize our sins and repent.
When Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek,” he is pointing us to gentleness. When he speaks about those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” he points us to godly love.
The similarities go on and on.
Being merciful and kind is very much the same. Having a pure heart is what goodness is all about. Peacemakers love peace, and the faithful remain true even in the face of persecution.
In case anyone is wondering, Paul is not teaching that we earn our salvation by doing good works. Paul does not say whoever sows to earn eternal life will get it. That is very different! What he tells us is that we are to sow seeds that please God’s Spirit. When we do that, we demonstrate our love for God, for his Spirit, and for his Son, Jesus Christ. It is our love for Jesus that binds us to him, and his love for us that promises eternal life.
Sowing a seed requires effort. We have to choose between the call of the flesh and the promise of the Spirit. God’s greatest commandments are to love him above all else and our neighbors as ourselves. How we do that is simple, if not easy.
Application: Love God, obey Jesus.
Food for Thought: How do we know if the Spirit is pleased with us?
How do we know if the Spirit is pleased with us?
We are either seeking God’s Will or our own will. There is no “neutral” ground there. When we seek to do His Will, and do His Will, He is pleased.
I remember a year or so ago, asking God “How do I drive my car in the the Will of the Lord?” I know that the thoughts that may come to mind may involve how I react to other drivers, or obeying traffic laws, and those are a part of it, but what I was asking was, “is there a manner in which driving this car is in your Will?” The answer that I received, in time, was “in gentile mindfulness.” In fact, I learned, in time, that was the modus operandi for all “life activities.” Seeking to hold that space for the voice of the Spirit.
A believer that seeks the Holy Spirit and is filled with the Holy Spirit will know when they are not pleasing the Spirit.
John 16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
As believers we learn to recognize the voice of the Spirit, and recognize the absence of the voice of the Spirit. The absence of His voice comes when we choose to ignore it. If we are not hearing His voice, it is a good bet that we are pleasing Him.
John 8:29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
We know that all that is good and right and true pleases the Spirit. We may not always know is good and right and true, but as a part of God’s Grace for our lives, He allows us discernment, the key part of that discernment is reading God’s Word, binding it to our hearts, and praying for understanding and wisdom.
Ephesians 5:8-10 For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
The Spirit is pleased by our faith in Him. If we find ourselves in a place where our faith is lacking, it is a good opportunity to ask ourselves why. I think in those moments an opportunity arises to strengthen our faith, rather than feel condemned for lack of it. I believe having the faith to ask for faith pleases the Spirit too.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Acting on faith and sharing the love of Christ pleases the Spirit.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Chris,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic. Great reference passages! I especially liked your thought about doing daily tasks in “gentle mindfulness” of God’s will. 🙂
The Holy Spirit is God. So I would say that what pleases God pleases the Holy Spirit.
Certainly He is pleased with rejoicing, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. He also wants us to hold onto what is good and reject what is evil.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 22: Rejoice always, 17pray continually, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22reject every kind of evil.
He also wants us to mature in Him evidenced by speaking the truth in love.
Ephesians 4: 15: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ
A few other verses that tell us what pleases the Holy Spirit (this is a short list – a full list is beyond our scope here).
A good sum up verse is 1 Corinthians 13: 13: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
So faith in Christ, hope and love clearly please Him in an eternal way.
Ephesians 4: 29 – 32: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 5: 15 – 20: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Isiah 63: 9 – 10: In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them. a
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.
10Yet they rebelled
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned and became their enemy
and he himself fought against them.
This last one shows that rebelling against Him grieves the Holy Spirit – so submitting to Him pleases Him.
Thank you, Rich!
I appreciate how you open your thoughts on pleasing God’s Spirit with praise. That is important for us to keep in mind. The other points and passages you mention are all excellent. Thank you!
How do we know if the Spirit is pleased with us?
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey God’s rules. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Ezekiel 36:27, Romans 8:16
Sowing in the Spirit will lead to existing, living in the growing knowledge of the power of God’s eternal Sovereignty. An awareness, knowledge, obedience and acceptance of God’s all-powerful hand on all events in our lives, which will lead us into a life with no regrets as we accept and exist in His righteous will for our lives over our own.
Pleasing, living in a lifetime of increasing obedience to the convictions of the Holy Spirit will bring incredible never before known peace and confidence in God’s perfect will for our lives, peace in the midst of chaos.
This is our undeniable God ordained life for all who walk in the pleasure of the Holy Spirits will, and guidance for our lives.
Thanks, Ron!
Walking in obedience to God’s will is certainly pleasing to the Spirit! A lifetime of walking with God, as you point out, brings us into a waking awareness of God’s presence.
Thank you all for your comments today. I would just like to add something that came to mind as I read through your thoughts.
When Ezekiel was seeking God, he didn’t find him in the storm, or the earthquake, or the fire. It was only after all this that he heard the whisper.
“And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” (1 Kings 19:12-13)
You have all alluded to this in some form. Listening to God requires that we still our inner voices so that we can hear the Spirit speak.
Thank You Jeff!
Excellent point, enjoy getting out of the way and letting God be seen in our lives.
Ron