Am I Pleasing To God?
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Zephaniah 1:1-18 and Psalm 60:1-12 (NIV)
(Angelyn Peh from Mandarin Ministry)
READ:
Zephaniah 1:1-18 and Psalm 60:1-12 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Zephaniah 1:15-18 stood out to me. I learnt that the day will come when God will stand over us to judge us. On that day, we will see God sending His wrath on the world and it will be a day of distress, darkness and gloom. It will be a day when silver and gold will not save us. His wrath will consume everything that is not pleasing in His sight.
APPLY:
From what the prophet described, I kept visualizing the scene when the Day of the Lord comes. I was reminded of the following:
1) God’s Holiness
GOD expects us to be holy because He is holy. In this world of temptation, achieving 100% holiness is almost impossible. Psalm 17:8 reminded me that He loves me and keeps me as “the apple of His eye”. While pronouncing judgment, He has also opened the way of hope for me through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2) God is not to be trifled with
He is gracious and merciful. Yet He is very clear about good and evil, with absolutely no gray areas. When judgment comes, He will judge His people first, and that starts with the leaders. So one day, I have to be accountable for everything I have done on earth, including how diligently I have worked, how committed I have been in serving Him, my interpersonal relationships, my acts of kindness, or laziness, whether I have made compromises to follow the crowd, my self-indulgence, etc. I am accountable to God, and subject to His rewards or chastisements!
3) God’s Love
In a world full of evil and deceit, where it is difficult to distinguish between what is true or false, He reminds me to turn away from those things that are not pleasing to Him. I want to reflect regularly, so that I am able to repent and turn to Him to live a life that is pleasing to Him. The blood of Christ shall cover and cleanse me, and the presence of the Holy Spirit shall support and guide me.
DO:
1) I will fear the LORD and submit to His will; I will not stay in my comfort zone and take for granted that the Lord will not judge all I have done on earth.
2) I will love God and people with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
3) I am thankful to God for awakening my heart, granting me the opportunity to re-enter His way of truth. In my journey of faith, I want to be light and salt, to glorify His name.
PRAY:
Lord, I offer myself as a living sacrifice. Please help me to do only what is pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
