Am I doing enough? Four ways to please God.

How can I write and speak to reach enough people in order to please God?

That question played a nagging tune in the background at odd times—while preparing a keynote message, writing the next chapter in a book, posting inspirational messages on Facebook, or hosting a radio show.

With permission: wikimedia.org

The answer came one sunny day. The Orlando afternoon was hot, and the parking lot even hotter.

My parents and I sat in the car outside a doctor’s office. My mom turned the ignition key, and nothing happened. The battery was dead and so was my cell phone. And my Dad, also blind like me, didn’t offer options.

C’mon,” I said to my Mom, “you and I will go in that doctor’s office and ask for help.”

She positioned me in the middle of the waiting room. I gave a sheepish smile. “Excuse me, “ I said, “would anyone be willing to give us a jump? Our battery is dead.”

“Yeah,” a woman said, “my husband can. Go help them.”

The man gave a loud grunt. “Where is your car,” he mumbled.

In the parking lot, out there,” I said, almost wishing I hadn’t asked.

“Let’s go,” he ordered.

He pulled his car beside ours. Moments later, I heard him huff. “This —- —- hood won’t open.” He grumbled some more. “Can’t do it. Maybe someone else can give you a jump.”

“Thank you,” I said, “thanks for trying anyway.”

As he drove off, I saw myself in him. As a good servant of the Lord, I wrote, gave messages from the stage, I performed. But, like the dead battery inside the engine, inside my heart my motive was…well… dead, too.

Beyond the tasks of a writer and a speaker, here are four ways to revive that passion, to put a smile in God’s face and allow our lives to be a sweet fragrance unto Him:

Choose whom to love and choose how much. Jesus said this is the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22, 37)
Choose to forgive. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
Choose not to fear, instead, declare what David did:“The LORD is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1-2)
Choose to increase our faith because : “…it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Father, help me to seek you earnestly, and come to love you with all my heart, mind and soul. May I please you, not in performing tasks, but in the profound passion and desire to obey you. In Jesus’ name, amen.