God is delighted by our sincere efforts to please Him. Just do your best with what you know and the resources He provides.
When my daughter was five years old, she wanted to make me a glass of orange juice. I sliced the oranges, and she rubbed them on the juicer and did the rest. After several minutes of determined effort, she was ready to present her gift. I looked at her bright smile as she held up the glass for me to taste. My heart burst with love as her bright eyes anticipated my first sip. It was wonderful! I told her how much I appreciated the delicious orange juice and gave her a big hug.
As she scampered off to play, I reflected on how God is pleased with our sincere efforts to please Him. I looked at the counter and thought of how I could have done it with less mess. I could have been even more efficient and selected the perfect blend of juice, sweetness and pulp from Tropicana at the store. But, that would not have been as delightful as her desire to please me. Her gift to me brought joy to her heart, and it brought joy to my heart.
In the same way, God has given me assignments to do as opportunities to please Him. Can God do a better job on His own, like He did in the six days of creation? Yes! Can He communicate His justice more effectively, like He did with the flood in the days of Noah? Of course! Can He communicate His power and glory more stunningly, like He does in the Revelation of Jesus Christ? Absolutely! Can God do it with someone else that is more skilled and makes less of a mess? Yes, but that is not what He wants. God wants to give me the opportunity to show my love for Him. My life is my turn to please God and encourage others to please Him.
Many people are intimidated by their lack of education and skills. They fear making a mess or not being as good as someone else. So, they pray and hide, hoping someone else will make disciples in their neighborhood and workplace. We can all be intimidated by the efficiency of the angel in Revelation who shares the gospel with the whole world in their own language.
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people– 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (Revelation 14:6-7)
But this is not the angel’s turn right now. Millions of people will be born and die before that angel’s turn. This is our turn to please God. This is our turn for the man dying of disease a month from now. It is our turn for the baby born two seconds ago. Every precious person needs to know the good news that God loves them and wants them to walk through life with God as their heavenly Father.
Don’t be intimidated or wait for the perfect opportunity to start. Are we going to make a mess of things? Yes. Are we going to make mistakes? Guaranteed. God is big enough to help us when we are scared and clean up the mess. God longs for us to try with the simple sincerity and determined effort that my daughter used to make orange juice. And … she brought me joy.