Human beings have spent thousands of years:
Seeking God.
Naming God.
Worshiping God.
Arguing about God.
Running from God.
Returning to God.
So perhaps the better question is not:
CAN WE UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING ABOUT GOD?
But:
CAN THE WAY WE LIVE BECOME PLEASING TO HIM?
Religion and belief are deeply personal subjects.
Maybe that is because they touch some of the deepest questions a human being can ask:
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
What is expected of me?
Is there something greater than myself?
What happens when this life is finished?
Across cultures and generations, human beings have repeatedly reached toward something beyond themselves.
Different languages.
Different customs.
Different traditions.
Different understandings.
But the reaching itself is fascinating.
Something in mankind keeps asking:
IS THERE MORE?
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
Explore.
Ask.
Seek.
Investigate.
Do not be afraid of the questions.
If God is greater than mankind, then our questions do not threaten Him.
They may be part of the journey toward Him.
HE WHO CANNOT BE CONTAINED BY A NAME
Human beings use many names and descriptions for God.
Lord.
Creator.
Eternal.
Father.
God of peace.
God of truth.
Source of life.
The Almighty.
But a name cannot contain what it describes.
If God is truly eternal and without limit, then no human word could completely define Him.
The ancient biblical expression given to Moses remains one of the most powerful:
I AM.
There is something magnificent about that.
Not:
I WAS.
Not merely:
I WILL BE.
I AM.
Existence itself.
CAN GOD BE PLEASED?
I believe He can.
Not because we become perfect.
History has already settled that question.
WE DO NOT.
Human beings fail.
Repeat mistakes.
Become selfish.
Fight.
Lie.
Cheat.
Harm.
Repent.
Repair.
Then sometimes repeat the whole process.
So perhaps pleasing God is not about presenting ourselves as flawless.
Maybe it is about what direction the heart is moving.
WHAT ARE WE BECOMING?
That question matters.
Are we becoming:
More truthful?
More merciful?
More just?
More loving?
More responsible?
More humble?
More faithful?
More useful to others?
If so…
Something is moving in the right direction.
- JUSTICE
One of the clearest ways to honor God is to practice justice.
Treat people fairly.
Protect those who cannot protect themselves when it is within your ability.
Do not use strength merely because you have it.
Authority should serve something larger than itself.
We are servants.
Not gods.
- RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness is an old word.
I understand it simply as:
THE RIGHT WAY.
Not merely:
MY WAY.
Not:
WHAT BENEFITS ME.
But what is right even when another choice would be easier.
Conscience often speaks here.
Sometimes softly.
Sometimes annoyingly.
You know the feeling.
You are about to do something and something inside says:
DON’T.
Or:
YOU NEED TO FIX THIS.
Listen.
- SEEK HIM WILLINGLY
I do not believe God wants forced affection.
What would that be worth?
Seek.
Ask.
Knock.
Yearn.
Question.
Court the mystery.
There is a difference between saying words about God…
And actually wanting to know Him.
The mouth can help.
The mind can help.
But something deeper has to participate.
I call it:
HEARTSPEAK.
The part of you that reaches beyond vocabulary.
- OBEDIENCE
This is the difficult word.
Human beings like:
MY WILL.
MY PLAN.
MY TIMING.
MY WAY.
Then faith introduces another possibility:
THY WILL.
That does not mean becoming passive.
It means recognizing that your personal desire may not be the final authority in the universe.
That takes humility.
- LET GO AND LET GOD
You do everything you reasonably can.
Think.
Work.
Prepare.
Correct.
Ask.
Seek help.
Then sometimes you reach the edge of your control.
That is where willfulness becomes exhausting.
Frustration.
Anxiety.
Anger.
The demand that reality obey your timetable.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Maybe the next act is not:
PUSH HARDER.
Maybe it is:
TRUST.
- GOD IS NOT ASLEEP
If I believe God is Creator, then I also believe creation is not operating outside His awareness.
Look around.
Systems.
Patterns.
Order.
Life.
Death.
Renewal.
Stars.
Cells.
Water.
Seeds.
Consciousness.
Whatever our theological explanations, something extraordinary is happening.
I call God:
LORD OF THE MOLECULES.
If He can manage molecules…
Perhaps He does not require me to manage the entire universe before breakfast.
That is comforting.
- RESPECT THE CREATION
If someone makes something beautiful…
What shows respect?
Destroy it?
Abuse it?
Ignore it?
Or care for it?
If God created life, then respect for God should eventually influence how we treat:
People.
Animals.
Land.
Water.
Resources.
The bodies we were given.
The world around us.
Respect the Maker.
Then learn to respect what was made.
- ORDER AND RESPONSIBILITY
Creation appears filled with order.
Patterns.
Boundaries.
Cycles.
Cause and effect.
Human life needs order too.
Responsibility.
Accountability.
Structure.
Freedom without responsibility becomes chaos.
Authority without responsibility becomes abuse.
The two belong together.
- SOME THINGS CORRODE THE SOUL
Lying.
Cheating.
Stealing.
Cruelty.
Abuse.
Deception.
Exploitation.
Excess without restraint.
Human beings have practiced these things forever.
Sometimes they even produce short-term results.
That does not make them good.
You can profit materially while becoming poorer inside.
That is a terrible exchange.
If conscience keeps pointing something out…
LOOK.
Maybe it is trying to save you from yourself.
- MERCY
Justice matters.
So does mercy.
Interesting combination.
There are moments when someone is clearly wrong.
You have power.
The outcome is yours to influence.
Now comes another question:
HOW MUCH FORCE IS NECESSARY?
Mercy is not pretending wrongdoing did not occur.
It is knowing when punishment has accomplished enough.
You may someday need the same consideration.
Carry justice with charity.
- ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND GRATITUDE
Look around.
Really look.
A tree.
Your hand.
A child.
A night sky.
Rain.
The human eye.
The ability to think about thinking.
You do not have to understand everything before gratitude becomes reasonable.
If you believe God is behind creation…
Then say thank you.
Praise does not enlarge God.
Perhaps it enlarges OUR awareness.
- FAITH
Eventually reason reaches a border.
There are things we can test.
Measure.
Observe.
And there are questions that go farther.
That is where faith begins.
Faith is not pretending evidence does not matter.
Faith is trust where complete certainty is unavailable.
Everybody trusts something.
The question is:
WHAT?
AND WHY?
CAN MANKIND PLEASE GOD?
If the standard is:
NEVER FAIL.
History says:
NO CHANCE.
If the standard is:
TURN TOWARD TRUTH.
SEEK JUSTICE.
SHOW MERCY.
LOVE.
REPENT.
SERVE.
TRUST.
GET BACK UP WHEN YOU FAIL.
Then perhaps the answer changes.
Maybe pleasing God is not about never falling.
Maybe part of it is what you do AFTER you fall.
REPENTANCE MEANS TURN
Repentance is sometimes made to sound like permanent misery.
I do not understand it that way.
See the wrong.
Admit it.
Turn.
Repair what can be repaired.
Then walk differently.
What good is seeing the error if you insist on continuing in the same direction?
Awareness is supposed to produce movement.
HISTORY IS A LONG RECORD OF BOTH
Mankind has produced:
Wars.
Cruelty.
Greed.
Hatred.
Deception.
But mankind has also produced:
Sacrifice.
Mercy.
Healing.
Service.
Forgiveness.
Courage.
Love.
History does not prove that human beings cannot please God.
It proves that human beings are capable of moving in BOTH directions.
The choice keeps returning.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR PORTION?
You do not control mankind.
You control very little of the world.
But you have some authority over:
Your word.
Your choices.
Your behavior.
Your response.
Your little portion.
Start there.
You do not need to reform civilization before dinner.
Make YOUR portion more truthful.
More merciful.
More useful.
More loving.
That alone is plenty of work.
FINAL THOUGHT
Perhaps the question:
CAN MANKIND PLEASE GOD?
is too large.
Bring it closer.
CAN I LIVE TODAY IN A WAY THAT WOULD PLEASE GOD?
Now we have something workable.
Tell the truth.
Practice justice.
Show mercy.
Do useful work.
Control excess.
Forgive where appropriate.
Ask forgiveness where necessary.
Respect creation.
Seek God sincerely.
And when you fail…
TURN BACK.
The history of mankind may be complicated.
Your next choice does not have to be.
PEARLS INSIGHT
Across religious traditions, human beings have long wrestled with questions of divine approval, moral responsibility, purpose, repentance, justice, mercy, and faith. Within the biblical tradition emphasized in this Pearl, pleasing God is associated not with human perfection but with sincere faith, justice, mercy, humility, obedience, repentance, love, and a continuing willingness to turn toward what is understood as right.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
A foundational principle throughout Pearls for the Soul is:
FEED THE SOUL.
The soul cannot be fed merely with:
Money.
Entertainment.
Status.
Possessions.
It also asks:
WHY AM I HERE?
WHAT IS TRUE?
WHAT IS RIGHT?
WHO CREATED ME?
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME?
Those questions belong to the deeper journey.
Do not starve them merely because the answers require searching.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This Pearl connects directly with:
RELIGION’S MAIN PURPOSE? LEAD YOU TO GOD
BELIEVING WITHOUT SEEING… IS CALLED FAITH
FAITH WORKS… EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T
and
BEFORE ALL THINGS WHAT WAS THERE?
One begins the search.
One explains faith.
One explains trust beyond personal control.
One asks about origin.
Together they point toward the same destination:
SEEK THE CREATOR…
NOT MERELY THE SYSTEMS BUILT AROUND HIM.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Can mankind please God?
Well…
If perfection is required?
We have a very bad historical record.
But maybe God already knows that.
So try this:
Tell the truth.
Do right.
Show mercy.
Love somebody.
Help somebody.
Seek Him.
When you mess up…
ADMIT IT.
TURN.
KEEP GOING.
Maybe pleasing God has less to do with never falling…
And more to do with which direction you keep getting back up and walking.
FINAL SAY
Do not spend your entire life wondering whether mankind can please God.
Bring the question home.
CAN I PLEASE HIM TODAY?
You have a day.
You have choices.
You have a conscience.
You have some measure of ability.
Use them well.
Whatever you do regarding this subject…
DO IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
pearlsforthesoul.com
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