This Teachings by Brother Eli Soriano remind us of an important fact about what God likes mostly. It is a reflection that challenges our knowledge of what pleases God and invites us to align our hearts with His.
Matthew 17:5-6 gives a straight answer to this question, “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'” By this divine pronouncement we know that Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, above all other beings brings the maximum pleasure to Him. The joy of God’s heart in His Son cannot be equaled by anybody or anything else.
As it should be understood that no matter how good or right our human works can never be the cause of God's greatest delight. Rather it points us towards Jesus and tells us to pay attention to Him and copy his behavior.
However, Brother Eli Soriano also draws our attention to Jeremiah 9:23-24, which speaks of what pleases God in relation to us as His creation:
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not let the wise man boast in his wisdom or the strong man boast in his strength or the rich man boast in his riches. But let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.”
From this passage we learn that God delights in those who truly know Him and understand His character. It’s not about our achievements or our mightiness nor even about how much we are worth. Instead, it’s all about having a relationship with God and knowing his lovingkindness, justice and righteousness.
We are challenged by this reflection to examine our lives. Do we want to know God better? Can we perceive his hand in the compassion, justice and equity that exist in our world? Are we living in the ways of God which he loves?
We need to remember that even as we work for God, it is not about doing marvelous things but experiencing Him on a more personal level. This makes us take part in what pleases Him knowing too well that Jesus Christ Himself is the ultimate source of God’s pleasure.
May this understanding transform our approach to faith, shifting our focus from what we have done towards a deeper insight into who created us. Our delight should come out of knowing and reflecting His attributes of lovingkindness, justice and righteousness not from own achievements.
