What Pleases God: Three Essential Ways to Delight the Lord

Have you ever wondered what truly brings joy to God's heart? While we often focus on avoiding sin or following rules, there's something deeper that delights our heavenly Father. Through the story of Peter's restoration in John 21, we discover three fundamental ways we can please God in our daily lives.

Finding What Is Acceptable to the Lord

Ephesians 5:10 instructs us to find out "what is acceptable or pleasing to the Lord." This isn't about guesswork or religious performance—it's about understanding God's heart and what genuinely brings Him joy. When we examine Scripture, particularly the account of Jesus meeting His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, three clear principles emerge.

Our Presence Pleases Him

God Doesn't Want Distant Children

The first truth that emerges from John 21:1-8 is remarkable: our simple presence delights God. When Jesus called out to His disciples, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?" He wasn't primarily concerned about their fishing success. He wanted fellowship and relationship.

God moved into our lives because He didn't want distant sons and daughters. He left heaven and came to earth, just as He came close to that shoreline for a fish fry with His disciples. This same God invites us to "come boldly before the throne of grace" because our presence genuinely pleases Him.

The Danger of Drifting Back

Peter and the disciples had begun drifting back to their old life of fishing. When we don't draw close to God, we naturally drift back to where we came from. But notice what happened when Peter heard it was Jesus on the shore—he jumped off the boat and swam to meet Him.

While the other disciples focused on the blessing (the fish), Peter focused on the Blesser. We must be willing to jump off whatever boat we're in and pursue relationship with Jesus above all else.

God Is Waiting for Our Response

When Jesus asked about the fish and they replied "No," God was waiting for their response. He's still waiting for us to stop running, stop working frantically, stop hiding, and simply come close to Him. It pleases God when we prioritize His presence over our productivity.

Touching Us Pleases Him

Jesus Walks Into Our Circumstances

In John 21:9-17, we see Jesus had already prepared breakfast for His disciples. He said, "Come and have some breakfast." This reveals the second way we please God—allowing Him to touch our lives brings Him joy.

Revelation 3:20 shows Jesus standing at the door and knocking. He's already in our lives, but He wants to bless us more deeply. When His presence manifests in our circumstances, it's like His stamp of approval on our lives.

Restoration at the Coals of Fire

The last time Peter was by a fire, he denied Jesus three times. Now Jesus was cooking fish on coals, calling Peter back to the very place of his failure. This demonstrates that God wants to touch us even in our areas of shame and defeat.

God desires to walk us in the mercy and grace that Jesus paid for with His blood. No drop of His blood was wasted for us. He gets close enough for us to jump off whatever boat we're in and run to Him.

God Reveals Our Purpose Through His Touch

Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God's workmanship, created for good works that He prepared in advance. Even our past mistakes were already accounted for in His plan. The touch of Jesus restores both our identity and our mission.

Like Peter, we can say: "Where I failed, He meets me. Where I fell, He lifts me." God doesn't waste our failures—He transforms them into stepping stones toward our purpose.

Our Surrender Pleases Him

Follow Me—Again

In John 21:18-19, Jesus told Peter about his future and then said those familiar words: "Follow me." This was the same call Jesus gave Peter years earlier when He first invited him to become a fisher of men. Now, after Peter's failure and restoration, Jesus was calling him again.

Our surrender to God's plan and purpose pleases Him immensely. This isn't about losing control—it's about finding a better Leader. When we surrender, we're trusting God's plan even when it's different from our own.

Surrender Means Trusting God's Plan

Surrender doesn't mean we become passive or lose our identity. Instead, it means we trust that the Spirit of God dwelling within us is a better leader than our own understanding. We lean on Him rather than our own wisdom.

Our past does not disqualify us from our purpose, but our surrender positions us for it. God has prepared good works in advance for us to walk in, and He's simply waiting for us to surrender to His leadership.

When We Are Weak, He Is Strong

Sometimes life gets tough and we want to quit. But God isn't looking for us to quit—He's looking for us to surrender. When we become weak, He becomes strong. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

Surrendering allows God to accomplish His purpose through us, not through our own strength. This is what pleases Him most—when we stop trying to do things in our own power and allow Him to work through us.

Overcoming Interference

Satan Runs Interference

We must understand that darkness is always looking for ways to interfere with what pleases God. Satan doesn't want us to experience the things God has prepared for us. He runs interference through distractions, discouragement, and deception.

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:18 that Satan hindered him from visiting the believers. The enemy looks to run interference in our lives to prevent us from walking in God's purposes.

Persistent Prayer and Spiritual Armor

We resist the enemy through persistent prayer and by putting on the full armor of God. James 4:7 promises that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. We have authority in Christ to overcome every interference the enemy sends our way.

God Loves to Bless Us

He Is a Rewarder

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It pleases God to provide for us and bless our lives. He doesn't mind blessing us with things—He just doesn't want those things to distract us from pleasing Him.

God will test our faithfulness, but He delights in rewarding those who put Him first. When we make Him our delight, He makes us His delight.

Life Application

This week, focus on these three areas that please God: spending time in His presence, allowing Him to touch and transform areas of your life, and surrendering more fully to His plans and purposes.

Consider these questions as you apply this message:

• Am I prioritizing God's presence over my productivity and busyness?

• What areas of my life am I still trying to control instead of allowing God to touch and transform?

• Where is God calling me to surrender more fully to His plans rather than my own?

• What "boats" do I need to jump out of to pursue Jesus more wholeheartedly?

Remember, your past does not disqualify you from God's purpose, but your surrender positions you for it. Like Peter, you can move from denial and failure to bold faith and purpose. God is pleased with you, and He's waiting for you to draw close, receive His touch, and surrender to His amazing plans for your life.