I was in college when I heard a pastor say he had two rules for living:

1) To please God
2) To keep rule number one

So impressed with this idea was I that I put it on an application at a radio station. The general manager, who himself is a Christian, enjoyed asking me about it. 

For a long time, much longer than I care to admit, my approach to pleasing God was a doomed attempt at perfection. I was better than average, maybe, but never approached the perfection I sought. 

If you have not figured it out by now, you and I are never ever going to achieve perfection. Thankfully, Jesus was able to do that for us and to apply his grace to our faults. 

How do we live Rule Number One and Rule Number Two? 

God told Moses to give Aaron and his sons a blessing for the people of Israel. We find it in Numbers 6:24-26:

The blessed life, a life that pleases God, is a life of determined dependence. We acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven (James 1:17). 

We acknowledge that God protects and defends us as we walk the path he has laid out for us (Psalm 23). 

We acknowledge that it is by his grace alone that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

We acknowledge God with praise for who he is and thanksgiving for what he does (Psalms 100 and 150). 

We acknowledge that acceptance and peace are God’s gifts to all who turn to him in faith (John 15 and 16). 

Another term for acknowledging is conscious awareness. As Brother Lawrence put it, we are to “practice the presence of God.” That is, we seek to know and experience God whether we are washing dishes, applying makeup, examining spreadsheets, listening to podcasts, or teaching lessons. We pray without ceasing. Our lives are lived in constant conversation and contemplation with Jesus. 

Inconveniences like flat tires are much less frustrating as we learn to ask, “What does this make possible?” 

Doctor appointments where bad news is on the line become opportunities to minister grace to those who provide the care we require. 

Traffic bullies provide opportunities to exercise restraint and to seek God’s blessing on the offenders. 

We spent a few days with our granddaughter and her parents late last week. Every time I looked at that child, I smiled. You know the feeling. She did not have to do anything special to earn my smile. Living in her presence was enough to make me shine with the good kind of pride. 

One other helpful idea regarding living a life God can smile upon is found in what we call the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Rather than making this a prayer to pray or to guide our prayers, let’s turn it into a life to live. 

See God for who he is. Adopt his desires as your own. Do what he would do if he were you. Do his will his way in his timing. Receive his provision with thanksgiving and joy. Live as freely forgiving as we have been forgiven. Flee temptation. Depend on God for protection from all evil. 

These ideas are not legalisms to check off our list each day. These are moves of loving response to what God has been doing in our lives since conception and will continue for eternity. Not only will this meet the requirements of Rule Number One and Rule Number Two, we will soon discover that where the greatest of love pervades and saturates our lives, we do not really require rules. 

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I will live a life that pleases God.

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