[image: Purpose Driven Connection - Daily Devotional] March 15, 2009
May God Smile on You<http://links.purposedriven.com/u.d?LYGtvDfzTCSr6kW2s=13>
by Rick Warren
In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages
that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage: "May
the Lord smile on you" (Numbers 6:25 NLT).
The smile of God is the goal of life.
Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important
task is to discover how to do that. The Bible says, "Figure out what will
please Christ, and then do it" (Ephesians 5:10 MSG).
Fortunately, the Bible gives us a clear example of a life that gives
pleasure to God in the story of Noah.
In Noah's day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt. Everyone lived
for their own pleasure, not God's. God couldn't find anyone on earth
interested in pleasing him, so he was grieved and regretted making man. God
became so disgusted with the human race that he considered wiping it out.
But there was one man who made God smile. The Bible says, "Noah was a
pleasure to the Lord" (Genesis 6:8 LB).
God said, "This guy brings me pleasure. He makes me smile. I'll start over
with his family." Because Noah brought pleasure to God, you and I are alive
today.
Over the next few days, we will learn from Noah's life the five acts of
worship that make God smile. Here is the first one:
God smiles when we love him supremely. Noah loved God more than anything
else in the world, even when no one else did! The Bible tells us Noah
"consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him"
(Genesis 6:9 NLT).
This is what God wants most from you: a relationship! It's the most
astounding truth in the universe: our Creator wants to fellowship with us.
God made you to love you, and he longs for you to love him back. He says, "I
don't want your sacrifices—I want your love; I don't want your offerings—I
want you to know me" (Hosea 6:6 LB).
Can you sense God's passion for you in this verse? God deeply loves you and
desires your love in return. He longs for you to know him and spend time
with him. This is why learning to love God and to be loved by him should be
the greatest objective of your life.
Nothing else comes close in importance. Jesus called it the greatest
commandment. He said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV).
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest,
Calif., one of America’s largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick
is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The
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'Unless you change what you do, you will always have what you've got.'
- Jim Rohn
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