Living the Purpose Driven Life

 
 Prayer Meditation:  Making God Smile
Saturday, 25 October 2003
 

In considering that we were planned for God's pleasure (Purpose 1), several rich focuses were presented. 
 
The concept of Friendship with God (Day 11 in The Purpose Driven Life) will be a challenge to some, who have emphasized God's majesty, grandeur and sovereignty.  But the good News is that God "is passionate about his relationship with you" (Exodus 34:14 NLT). 
 
Pray with me that we will come to know God more intimately.  Pray that each person focusing on God's Purposes will learn how to "Practice His Presence."
 
But the focus for Pleasing God that made the deepest impression on me was Making God Smile (Day 9).  Rick Warren starts that focus by saying, "The smile of God is the goal of your life."    As I read the things that will make God smile, I felt a commitment growing in me to like the things God likes, to enjoy the things God enjoys. 

When I finished reading "What Makes God Smile," I wrote the following pledge:
I want the Lord to smile on me, so I am going to dedicate all my smiles to Him.  I want to smile all my smiles -- whatever caused them -- for God.
Our pastor made a point on Sunday in this regard.  In pointing out that I need to focus on God, he stated that God focuses on me.  In response to that insight, I wrote the following pledge:
God focuses on me, so I want to focus on Him.
Join me in my prayer vow to God that all my enjoyment will be directed to God as worship.  Let everything we enjoy be dedicated to God. 
 
I claim for the participants of our emphasis that they will focus on God in all they do, making him smile on them so brightly they will smile back in the pleasure of his majestic light and grandeur! 
 
I pray that the joy of God's pleased smile upon each one will evoke even holy laughter in our amazed celebration of God's magnificent holiness which he shines on us in the grace of our Lord Jesus!
 
I pray that our thoughts will be so transformed that we will dedicate all our own smiles and pleasures to the Lord, enjoying his creation and our role in it to the fullest in praise of his glory!
 
May the Lord smile on you!  (Numbers 6:25 (NLT)  May you smile back at him!
 

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Orville Boyd Jenkins, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Copyright © Orville Boyd Jenkins 2003
Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use. Other rights reserved.
Email: orville@jenkins.nu   saxophone@bigfoot.com

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Meditation 11

Purpose 1: Worship. "We are Planned for God's Pleasure"