It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And 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 11:5-6 NLT
God loves you unconditionally, even if you’re an enemy of God and a friend of the world. His love for you is not based on your merit. It’s an expression of God’s divine nature. God is love. That’s what He does.
Salvation would be impossible if God didn’t love us. What would motivate a holy and righteous God to redeem a sinful humanity back to Himself if it wasn’t love?
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:16-21 NLT
We have established that God loves us no matter what, but what about his approval? How do we gain God’s approval? What pleases God? What does God want from us?
The easy answer is righteousness. What does that mean? Righteousness is the opposite of sin. Sin is disobedience. Therefore, righteousness is obeying God. We’re not saved by our righteous works. We’re not saved by keeping the Law of Moses. We’re saved by faith because God loves us. If you believe God at His Word, it’s counted unto you as righteousness.
I like to say that God wants us to trust, listen and obey. I see a parallel to faith, hope and love. Our faith is in Jesus, therefore we trust that He is the Messiah and our Lord. Our hope is in Jesus, the Savior of the world, therefore we listen confidently for His voice to lead us in daily life. We love God, therefore we obey His commandments.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT
Jesus reconciles us back into friendly relationships with the Father. That fellowship with God begins the instant we believe. We become born again of God’s Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee, the down payment if you will, that God will make good on His promise to give us eternal life in Christ.
Do you believe? Do you trust that Jesus is who He claims to be? If so, then live your life to please God. If not, then get to know Him. Ask God to reveal Christ as Lord to your heart. He will answer that prayer.
That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.
John 8:24 NLT
Our faith, hope and love, gifts from God, lead us to respond. Our appropriate response is to trust, listen and obey. If you don’t obey God, is He really your God? If you don’t listen to God, is He really your Father? If you don’t trust God, do you really have faith?
What pleases God? That we become His children by faith and that we live a life of communion in the Spirit. Our obedience is to His voice, not the Law. Our abiding love for God is reflected in our humble walk of faith with God.
And that truly pleases the One who created, saved and redeemed us. To God be the glory, amen.
Father in Heaven, thank You for Your great love for us which motivated You to send Jesus, Your Son, to free us from the power and penalty of sin. Thank You for giving us the gift of faith. Thank You for setting us free from the power of sin and death. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live in us, to regenerate our spirits, to sanctify us. We love You, Lord. Lead us and guide us, moment by moment, day by day as we remain in Your love by listening to Your voice and obeying Your life giving words. May we live our remaining days on this earth to please You. Amen.
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8-10 NLT
Igniter Ministries 
The Holy Spirit is the guarantee, the down payment if you will, that God will make good on His promise to give us eternal life in Christ. Hallelujah