Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. — James 1:16-18 (NIV)

You are probably familiar with legends of island natives throwing a young lady into a volcano to appease the gods and avert disaster. A similar approach to pleasing the gods appears not only in mythology and legend, but in actual practice. Ancient Incan, Aztec, and Canaanite cultures among others offered human sacrifices to please their gods (2 Kings 3:27). They also punished themselves to appease the gods (1 Kings 18:26ff.).

They did these horrible things because they based their standing with their god on how they performed. If the crops failed or battles were lost, it was because they had done something wrong. To turn aside the wrath of the gods, they must do something to make it right. If the volcano rumbled, they must satisfy the gods or be smothered in lava.

They continually asked, “What must I do to please my god?” Failing in repeated attempts to perform the answer to that question, they asked, “Now, how do I turn aside the anger of the gods?”

We still ask those questions today, but it’s much more subtle. When things go wrong, we wonder if it’s because we have failed to do what God requires. We expect to see our situation change as we commit to do the right things from here on out. “I’ll pray more, go to church more, be nicer to my spouse, tell people about Jesus. Just, please Lord, fix this situation.”

We base our standing on with God on how we perform. When we do that, we’re different from the Canaanites in outward actions, but the underlying mindset is the same. Once we think there is something we can do to please and satisfy God we are already deceived. The reality is that the only thing that satisfies God is perfect obedience (Matthew 5:48). Any failure makes it too late to please him (James 2:10).

The Good News is that your God chose to turn his wrath away from you by pouring it out upon his own son (Galatians 3:13). He chose to give you birth (James 1:18; John 3:5-8) and continues to provide for you (Psalm 23). He serves you (Mark 10:45), feeds you (John 6:51-58), pleased God for you (Matthew 3:17; 17:5), and shed his own blood for you (Luke 22:19-20).

What can you do? Repent from trying to please God and rest in Jesus’ finished work.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)