I am not talking a grin. I am talking a big ear-to-ear kind of smile. The kind of smile you see on Diane and me when you look at pictures of us with our grandson, Matthew. The smiles proclaim the pleasure he brings us. Do you bring that kind of pleasure to God?

Noah is one a few people in the Bible that we are told was a pleasure to the Lord. Noah lived in a time period when people were morally bankrupt. When people lived for their own pleasure. Noah was the one exception and because he loved God with all of his heart, soul and mind. He was a pleasure to the Lord.

Wouldn’t you just love to have as you epithet the statement, “You were a pleasure to the Lord.” Wouldn’t it be great in these present-day morally bankrupt times to bring pleasure to God? Wouldn’t it be great to stand before God on judgment day hear God say, “Your life gave me pleasure?” Paul told the believers in Ephesus,

If we look at this morning’s reading from Isaiah 1:10-12 we certainly know what doesn’t please God.

It is obvious that God is not pleased with religious activities. What God is pleased with is a lifestyle of worship.

What are the characteristics of a worship lifestyle?

It begins with LOVE. God said,

Jesus repeated an Old Testament commandment,

I am not talking about the kind of love a pre-teen or teenage girl has for Justin Timberlake or some other singer heartthrob. I am not talking about the kind of love every guy my age confessed toward Farrah Faucet. I am not talking about the fickle type of love the crowd in Jerusalem had for Jesus when they shouted,

I am not talking about the kind of love a little boy expresses to his mother when he is in trouble. I am talking about passionate love, a love that requires all of your heart, soul and mind.

One has to wonder if Cat Steven’s hit song from the 70’s entitled The Cats in the Cradle doesn’t epitomize not only our relationship within families but our relationship with God as well.  It is a song about a boy in his stages of life from toddler to college wanting to be like his Dad and wanting to spend time with his Dad.  Dad is too busy with work, but he promises someday soon.  That someday comes when he retires and Dad wants to spend time with his son, who is now grown up and he has a family of his own.  When Dad calls, the son explains that he is busy but promises some day soon. The closing words of the song are the words of the father, “As I hung the phone it occurred to me my boy was just like me.”

We live in a culture where both parents are working making great sacrifices so that their children won’t do without and yet the family is in great danger of falling apart?  What good are those sacrifices if there is no love?  What good is believing in God if you don’t have time to love God with your heart soul and mind?

When you love God with heart, soul and mind you abandon the basic principles of this world and embrace the basic principles of Christ.  This brings me to the second characteristic of a worship lifestyle. TRUST

Noah trusted God and spent 120 years building an ark.  Abraham trusted God without knowing where he was moving to.  Mary trusted God and submitted herself to His will.  Jesus trusted God enough to die for us.  How much do you trust God?

You and I can’t love or trust God unless we believe His promises, believe His Word.

LOVE and TRUST are acts of worship.  Along with love and trust is OBEDIENCE.

God said through Micah,

Jesus himself said,

Would you buy a house if you knew the builder cut corners?  I doubt you would.  I know I wouldn’t.  When Diane and I build our retirement home we are going to want the builder to build according to the specification of the plans and codes.  I don’t want him to compromise the integrity of the house.

What about when it comes to building your life are you just as demanding? Are you building your life following God’s specification? God’s law? Or are you willing to compromise your integrity, to cut corners by ignoring God’s specifications?

When you build your life according to God’s specifications you are saying,

You do this by keeping His commandments. The amazing and humbling truth is that Jesus loves us just as much in our disobedience as in our obedience.  We don’t obey to earn Jesus’ love.  We obey because Jesus first loved us.  He died to show His love for us.  Will you love him with a life of obedience?

Are you as willing as David was who said to God,

By loving God with all of your heart, soul and mind you are!  By living a worship lifestyle of love, trust and obedience you are like the wise person, building your life upon the rock.