BBD 08.01.16 How to Make God Smile (New)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
Since June 8th 1998, this
is the 1766th
Burning Bush Devotional
01 August 2016
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He
was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from
the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. –
Genesis 6:5-8 NKJV.
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your
household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this
generation. –
Genesis 7:1 NKJV.
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.
– Psalm 147:11 NKJV.
The Kilauea
Volcano is smiling; yes, it is smiling, and there is video evidence of the
smile. The volcano smiley face has two glowing eyes and a long crooked smile.
The volcano smiley face was filmed by Mick Kalber from a helicopter belonging
to Paradise Helicopters. The Kilauea volcano is a very active and has erupted
continuously since 1983 and is located on the Big Island of Hawaii. The lava
flow from the volcano has reached the ocean for the first time in three years. You
can view the photos and video of the volcanic smiley face at this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3715583/Mother-nature-flashes-smile-Hawaii-volcano-appears-red-hot-grin-complete-glowing-eyes-molten-lava-hits-sea.html (DailyMail
08.01.16)
We
visited the Big Island of Hawaii in 1995 and the volcano was one of the more
memorable things that we saw on the island. However, there were no smiley faces
in the volcano then. In 1995, the lava flow was reaching the ocean and we along
with a large number of other people tried to get as close as we could to view
it. I remember we were still a long way away from the lava flow when the heat
became unbearable and we had to turn away.
Seeing
the video of the volcanic smiley face this morning made me think of this
question: Does God smile? And if God does smile, what would make Him smile upon
our lives? Searching the Bible, depending upon which translation is used, there
are only three to five references to the word smile. However, although the
Bible does not specifically reference God smiling I believe that God does smile
if you think of Him as being pleased with the lives of some of His servants.
God
appears to be pleased with His servants Enoch and Noah. Why? Because Enoch and
Noah pleased God. But how did they please God. In Hebrews
11, it is revealed that it was by faith that Enoch and Noah pleased God.
The writer of Hebrews comments on Enoch’s faith
by saying this, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that
he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for
before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. “But without
faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:5-6).” The writer of Hebrews also comments on how Noah pleased God by
saying, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things
not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his
household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness
which is according to faith (Hebrews 11:7 NKJV).”
How can
we make God smile? King David tells us in Psalm 51
in his prayer of repentance: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show
forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt
offering. The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a
broken and a contrite heart—these,
O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:15-17 NKJV).” In Romans 10, we see more specifically
how we can make God smile as we are told, “For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all
who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name
of the Lord shall be saved (Romans
10:12-13 NKJV).’” The Amplified Bible puts the last part of Romans
10:12 as, “[He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who
call on Him [in faith and prayer].” The New American Standard
Bible puts this as “abounding in riches for all who call on Him.”
So, how can we make God smile? “If you confess with your
mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).” By faith receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and you will surely make God smile. And, then by faith walk with God as
did Enoch and Noah, and God will surely smile even more!
Copyright © 2016. Ed Wrather. The
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