Monday, June 16, 2014

Can just being sweet be pleasing to God?

02-22-2014


I wonder if a pleasant demeanor in and of itself is something that praises God whether or not there is active verbal preaching going on.  When Jesus was making His point to the disciples in Luke’s 12th chapter about worry, He pointed to some wildflowers, lilies in most translations, and used them as an illustration of what beauty is. (v. 27)  

They didn’t toil.  They weren’t useful for food.  The lilies couldn’t be made into clothing or shelter.  They weren’t like their counterparts in the cultivated gardens and fields in the area.  And yet in this instance, just because they were beautiful, Jesus chose them over say… corn to teach a lesson.  Sometimes being nice or pleasant, not preaching or cajoling,
is a function that speaks to God’s presence in us, and God can and will use that to reach others.  All the lilies did was act like the lilies God created them to be.  All of their niceness and sweetness pleased the Master because they were doing exactly what they were designed to do. 

Just being nice then can indeed be pleasing to God.  We are built for caring relationships with God and one another.  Let’s please the Master by doing what we were designed to do as well.

May you find blessings and peace today… whether you’re a lily or crabgrass, a rose or wheat, corn or kudzu.


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