To effectively please God we need to understand the character of God. Jesus was God in the flesh, and I’m so happy that the account of his time here was recorded in the first four books of the New Testament. Within Matthew, Mark, Luke and John we are able to read the actual words of Jesus. This provides a powerful way for us to connect with the heart and mind of God. But there are 62 other books in the Bible. Within them, we are also able to hear the words of God through the prophets, and we are able to understand the character of God by how he treated his people and by how he was spoken of by them. In Deuteronomy, chapter 10, verses 17 and 18, we find these words:
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”
God has a soft spot for those who are marginalized, ignored, weak, innocent and those who are considered “less than”. It says that God “defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing”. This is God’s heart. It helps us to know his heart so that we can please him by reflecting his heart in our words and actions. Knowing that God defends the orphans, the widows, and cares for the foreigner should encourage us to do the same. Because in many cases, he uses people like you and me to act on his behalf. So I encourage you to read the Bible, not only to know the commands of God, but also to understand the character of God. Because understanding his character allows the Holy Spirit to give us a clear roadmap for how to please him.
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When was the last time you’ve given serious thought to the mind and the character of God? Have you ever considered ways to help the orphan and the widow? Do you take into consideration God’s heart when discerning your thoughts about foreigners and strangers? If not, I encourage you to start. Deuteronomy isn’t the only place where we can see this facet of God’s heart. His thoughts about he orphan, widow and foreigner are peppered throughout the Bible. And there are many other facets of God’s character to explore as well. So, if you want to be like Christ and if you want to please God, it helps to know his heart. And to know his heart means we need to know his word. So I encourage you, as I encourage myself, to take note of when God’s heart is displayed in scripture. Because we can’t be like him if we don’t really know him.
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