WHAT MAKES GOD SMILE

Genesis 6

The smile of God is the goal of your life.
Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that.
The Bible gives us a clear example of a life that gives pleasure to God. The man’s name was Noah.
In Noah’s day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt. Everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God’s. God couldn’t find anyone on earth interested in pleasing Him, so He was grieved and regretted making man. God became so disgusted with the human race that He considered wiping it out. But there was one man who made God smile.

“Now the Lord observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, ‘I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them.’ But Noah found favor with the Lord.
This is the history of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with him” Genesis 6:5-9.

Because Noah brought pleasure to God, you and I are alive today. From his life we learn what makes God smile.

I. GOD SMILES WHEN WE LOVE HIM SUPREMELY
Noah loved God more than anything else in the world, even when no one else did.
“Noah consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him” Genesis 6:9.
That is what God wants from us: relationship! It’s the most astounding truth in the universe – that our Creator wants to have a relationship with us. God made you to love you, and He longs for you to love Him back.
“I don’t want your sacrifices – I want your love; I don’t want your offerings – I want you to know me” Hosea 6:6.
Illus: A scene from the film Notting Hill – “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her.”
God deeply loves you and desires your love in return. He longs for you to know Him and spend time with Him. That is why learning to love God and be loved by Him should be the greatest objective of our life.

II. GOD SMILES WHEN WE TRUST HIM COMPLETELY
“By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told….As a result, Noah became intimate with God” Hebrews 11:7.
God commanded Noah to build an ark because He’s going to send a worldwide flood. God wanted to save the family of Noah and the animal population.
There were 3 problems:
• Noah had never seen rain, because prior to the Flood, God irrigated the earth from the ground up.
• Noah lived hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean.
• There was the problem of gathering all the animals and caring for them.

But Noah didn’t complain or make excuses. He trusted God completely. Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for our life. We expect Him to keep His promises, help us with problems, and do the impossible when necessary.
It took Noah 120 years to build the ark.
In what areas of your life do you need to trust God completely? Trusting is an act of worship.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6.

III. GOD SMILES WHEN WE OBEY HIM WHOLEHEARTEDLY
God gave very detailed instructions as to the size, shape, and materials of the ark as well as the different numbers of animals to be brought on board.
The size of the ark is equivalent to 20 college basketball courts, its height – 4-storey building.
“So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him” Genesis 6:22.
That is wholeheartedness.
Noah obeyed God wholeheartedly. He didn’t say, “Yes, Lord” tapos binago ‘yong plano nang kaunti dahil mahirap. He didn’t also say, “Yes, Lord” tapos hindi niya ginawa dahil wala namang ulan.
Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We choose the commands we obey. That is not wholeheartedness.

IV. GOD SMILES WHEN WE PRAISE AND THANK HIM CONTINUALLY
Few things feel better than receiving a heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God smiles when we express our adoration and gratitude to Him.
Noah’s first act after surviving the Flood was to express his thanks to God by offering a sacrifice.
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings on it” Genesis 8:20.
Illus: magpapaprayer …… pagkatapos makuha ang answer hindi na marunong magpasalamat. Sasabihin ‘Ako na gud ni!’
“What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? Psalm 116:12.
By giving our tithes and offerings.
“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” 2 Corinthians 9:12.

V. GOD SMILES WHEN WE USE OUR ABILITIES
After the Flood, God gave these simple instructions: “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth…. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
God said, “It’s time to get on with your life! Do the things I designed humans to do.”
You may feel that the only time God is pleased with you is when you’re doing “spiritual” activities. And you may think God is unconcerned about the other parts of your life. Actually, God enjoys watching every detail of your life, whether you are working, playing, resting, or eating.
You can wash dishes, repair a machine, sell a product, etc. for the glory of God.
God intentionally gifted us differently for His enjoyment. You don’t bring glory or pleasure to God by hiding your abilities or trying to be someone else. You only bring Him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you are rejecting God’s wisdom and sovereignty in creating you.
“You have no right to argue with your Creator. You are merely a clay pot shaped by a potter. The clay doesn’t ask, ‘Why did you make me this way?’” Isaiah 45:9.

Is pleasing God your deepest desire? If yes, then…
• Love Him supremely
• Trust Him completely
• Obey Him wholeheartedly
• Praise and thank Him continually
• Use your abilities