Perhaps you applaud yourself and say, “Well, you may be a pleaser, but I certainly am not! I get frustrated with people like that—always wanting and always trying to please others. They must have many insecurities. As far as I can tell, they’re trying to earn approval and acceptance by being a pleaser. I find them annoying.”
Really? You find pleasers annoying? Have you ever considered that you might be a pleaser of sorts? A strong case could be made that you are—and so am I. We are all pleasers in one way or another. The real issue is not whether we are pleasers, but who we are living for—and whether our lives are centred on pleasing God.
Some live to please others out of love.
Some live to please others for ulterior motives—perhaps to gain favour.
Some live to please themselves.
Some live to please God.
Even the Lord Jesus was a pleaser—and He was not ashamed of it. Here is what He said to the Jews as He taught in the temple courts:
“I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:29
He didn’t say, “Sometimes,” or “mostly,” or “I try.” He said, “I always—without exception—do what pleases Him.”
Not once did Jesus act—or even contemplate acting—in a way that would displease His Father. His life on earth was wholly lived for the pleasure and satisfaction of His Father. In that sense, Jesus was a pleaser. It is no wonder that God declared from heaven more than once, “This is My Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
If God were to make an announcement to the world about you, what would He say? Would your Heavenly Father declare:
"This is My child, Arietta Biskimpsi, in whom I am pleased, as I see her growing and striving to please Me in all things."
Sadly, we can live primarily to please ourselves. Paul wrote to Timothy about people who are “lovers of self” (2 Timothy 3:2). While that describes unbelievers in that context, he also exhorts believers in Romans 15:1:
“…not to please ourselves.”
To strengthen his point, Paul points to the Lord Jesus as the supreme example:
“For even Christ did not please Himself…” (Romans 15:3 NASB)
One clear evidence that a person is genuinely saved is a growing desire to please God. It becomes the inward aim of every true believer—to live daily with a view to pleasing Him:
“…to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10 NASB
Dear child of God, is it not your deepest desire to please the One who loved you—even unto death?
You will please someone today—you cannot avoid it. The issue is not if, but who. Will it be self, others, or God? Choose carefully. A life directed toward pleasing God is never wasted—and that choice will shape not only your day, but your eternity.
