socrates Before I hit you with “The Greatest Thought You’ve Never Had,” I need to warn you that it may not sound so amazing at first. If you stick with me, though, I will show you why it is a truly an astonishing thought. It fact, it is a thought that could transform your entire life.

   Did you know (here it is!) that you can actually make God happy? I’m going to start by showing you how it’s possible to do that, and then we will see what makes that thought so utterly shocking.

   If you are reading this, then I assume you WANT to please God. That makes sense to me because He is, after all, very powerful and we need Him to take care of things that are out of our control—not to mention that we’ll have to stand before Him some day and have our entire life evaluated.

   You may have never asked yourself how you could please God because you’ve always assumed you knew how. Most people think that religion exists to answer that question. All religions have their differences, but each one (for the most part) has its own unique list of do’s and don’ts that attempt to show us how to please God.

   This is not a new idea. Over 2,000 years ago Paul encountered people who taught that very thing. In Paul’s day there were teachers among the early Christians who claimed that they knew a sure-fire way to make God happy. All you had to do was keep a few ceremonies (circumcision was one of them) and then do your very best to be good.

   The Bible, on the other hand, makes it clear that we are so sinful that there is nothing we can do to make God happy. “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…” (Romans 7:18). “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God” (Romans 3:10–11).

   Don’t despair, though, there is a way to make God happy, but doing religious stuff and working hard isn’t it. Here is the key: “… a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28). To put it another way, after the Bible gave us a long list of people who made God happy, it said that they “… gained approval through their faith…” (Hebrews 11:39).

   That verse shows that we can know God is pleased when we put our complete faith (trust) in Him. That means we must trust that Christ’s work on the Cross is all that we need to remove our sin. Our faith and trust in Him allows us to actually make God happy. “Although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Colossians 1:21–22).

   Now, before you go I want to point out why being able to make God happy is so amazing. I’m going to do this by using a brief quote from a famous sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge titled “He’s My King.” If you can, please listen to a six-minute excerpt of this sermon at https://goo.gl/WM1iq1 It may be the most amazing six minutes of your week.

   Here are a few brief quotes to whet your appetite.

   My King was born king. … He’s a king of the ages. He’s the king of heaven. He is the king of glory. He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords. Now that’s my King.

   Well, I wonder if you know Him. … David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply ….

   He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, and He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. That’s my King. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s august. He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest idea in philosophy. He’s the fundamental truth in theology. He’s the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion. That’s my King.

   He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. … He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?

   It brings tears to my eyes to think that I could possibly give any pleasure to such a high and holy God. Yet, God has made that possible when we respond to His gift of faith. “For this reason also, God highly exalted

[Jesus], and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11). You and I CAN please God and give Him glory!