Please Me or Please God?

One of the most remarkable things about our sinful nature is its ability to convince us that we are seeing things clearly when we are not. We naturally view the world through the lens of ourselves—what we want, what makes us comfortable, what makes us happy, and what we think will make our lives better.

The problem is that selfishness doesn't always show up in obvious ways. Sometimes it quietly works its way into how we think, even into how we read the Bible.

We can approach Scripture asking, "What does this mean for me? How can this make my life better? What does God want to give me?" Those aren't necessarily bad questions, but perhaps they aren't the first questions we should ask. Before asking what God's Word means to me, I should first ask, "What does God want?" 

Think about the Garden of Eden.

When we picture paradise, we tend to picture a place where everything is about our comfort: no pain, no sickness, no sorrow, no stress, no problems, and plenty of time to simply enjoy ourselves. And Eden really was paradise. God created it, provided everything Adam needed, and called His creation "very good" (Genesis 1:31).

But Adam wasn't created to sit around doing nothing. God gave him a purpose. Genesis 2:15 tells us that God placed Adam in the garden "to work it and keep it." He was given responsibility over God's creation. He had a relationship with God, a calling, and a command to obey. There was even a boundary he was not to cross (Genesis 2:16–17).

There was work in paradise. There were responsibilities in paradise. There were rules in paradise.

And it was still paradise.

Maybe that should change the way we think about life. We tend to measure goodness by how much pleasure something gives us and how little discomfort it causes. But God didn't create us merely to be comfortable. He created us to know Him, serve Him, obey Him, and glorify Him.

Yet, instead of asking "what does God want" and "how can I serve", we can become consumed with what the church does for us—the music we like, the preaching we prefer, the programs we want, the schedule that's convenient, the people who make us comfortable.

None of those things are inherently wrong. But when church becomes primarily about what I receive, I can easily become a spectator rather than a servant.

God didn't save us simply to fill a seat. He has given each of us opportunities, abilities, and responsibilities to serve Him and serve His people. Scripture describes the church as the body of Christ, with each member having a role to fulfill (1 Corinthians 12:12–27). Peter tells believers to use whatever gifts they have received to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10).

Sometimes that service is enjoyable. Sometimes it is inconvenient. Sometimes nobody notices.

But the question isn't always, "Do I enjoy this?"

The better question is, "Does this please God?"

That question matters far beyond church. It affects how we respond when God's Word confronts us. It affects how we handle our money, relationships, time, priorities, and desires. It even affects how we interpret Scripture.

If we emphasize what we like and minimize what makes us uncomfortable, we bend Scripture toward our preferences rather than allowing Scripture to reshape us. We may not reject what the Bible says, but sometimes we simply try to make it say what we want it to say.

That is essentially the problem we see in Eden. Adam and Eve weren't living in a miserable world from which they needed to escape. They had everything they needed. But they chose what they wanted over what God had said (Genesis 3:1–6). Humanity has been repeating that pattern ever since.

So perhaps we should occasionally stop and ask ourselves a difficult question:
Am I trying to please God, or am I trying to get God to please me?

The answer may reveal more about our hearts than we want to admit.

The Christian life isn't ultimately about building a life that pleases me. It is about living a life that pleases God. Paul reminds us, "Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

And the remarkable thing is that when we stop making ourselves the center, we don't lose our joy. We find it in the place God intended all along—not in getting everything we want, but in knowing Him, serving Him, and living for His glory.

The next time we open our Bibles, we should resist the temptation to begin with, "What do I want this to say?"

Instead, let's begin with a better question:
"God, what have You said—and am I willing to obey it?"

Perhaps that's the question we should be asking more often.