
I cannot speak for you, but one of the things I desire most is to please God. I find myself asking Him in prayer if He is satisfied with me. I know I am severely flawed, a sinner in need of grace. But I am trying. I am putting forth an effort.
And so, I do believe that God brought me to this particular verse by no coincidence. I believe He wanted to affirm you and I on how to satisfy Him ... how to please Him. God's answer is as follows:
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11;6 (KJV)
We see that we need faith to please God. Yet, the placement of that faith is paramount. You can have faith in virtually anything. You can have faith in your money, your spouse, your friends, your pastor, your mother or father ... the list goes on. But God is pleased if we believe that 1,) He is, and 2.) He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Let's examine that a bit closer.
1.) We must believe that God is.
That God is what? Well, for starters, that He exists. That He is real. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God, the Father is real, and that Jesus Christ is His Son whom He sent into the world to die for your sins?
You have to start here with this acceptance and confession first. Too often, we look for the rewards of God without acknowledging God. First, believe that He is, that He exists. Then, believe that He is I AM.
This is who God said He was when Moses asked Him who should he say sent him to the Israelites. God said, "I AM who I AM ... tell them I AM sent you." (Exodus 3:14). What a beautiful, powerful, holy response! God is! He just is! Whatever you need Him to be, He is. When Lazarus's sister, Martha, said she knew Lazarus would rise at the resurrection, Christ responded, "I am the Resurrection." (John 11:25). Christ also said, "I am the door" (John 10) and "I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14). Not to mention, what He said in Revelations.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelations 22:13 NIV
He is! Whatever you need today, be it love, peace, joy, a way out, or a way through, know that Jesus is. Believe that, and you will please God according to the text in Hebrews 11:6. Now, there's one more part in this verse to address before I bid you adieu.
2.) A rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
God gives rewards both now and in the life to come. Some of us believe the former of Hebrews 11:6, but not the latter. Some people do not believe there are rewards for them. Heaven is the only reward they think they'll receive. Granted, heaven is the cream of the crop, but didn't David say in Psalm 27:13 that he believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living?
Didn't Christ say in Mark 10:29 that those who forsook all and followed Him would receive goodness in this present age and in the age to come? So, then, why do some believe God doesn't have rewards for them on earth?
Some believe the rewards are reserved for others, but not for them. Are you one of these people? If you are, ask God to help you be that person no more. For the text says, you cannot please Him if you do not believe in Him and if you do not believe that He is a rewarder.
Have faith today. Have faith tomorrow, and forever more. Read Hebrews 11 in its entirety and see how faith brought forth rewards for God's people while they lived. Be encouraged by it. Soak in it and live it out. Believe in God and believe in what He can do.
And if you feel as if your faith is too small, remember all you need is a mustard seed size of it. Recall Sarah initially laughed at God when He said He'd give her a child while she was old and barren. Yet, Hebrews 11 says her faith allowed her to conceive. Her faith, though doubtful at first, was enough. She, along with the many other great Hall of Faithers listed in Hebrews 11, pleased God.
Reader, please God! Please Him with faith in Him and by being expectant in His earthly and heavenly rewards. That's all I have for you today. Be blessed! If it's the Lord's will, I'll see you next week.
Quin Arrington is a Christian Author and Writer with three books, both fiction and nonfiction, available on Amazon at
Praising The Great I Am!