Without faith it is impossible to please God

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
This is a well-known verse, and it’s good to take a bit of time to delve into it and understand what it is saying to us. If we want to please God, we need to have faith. Why is this? Does this mean that someone who doesn’t believe in God, cannot please Him – even though they may treat everyone fairly, make large donations to the poor on a regular basis, and be a good example to others, building up society? The answer is yes: such a person cannot please God. This should emphasise to us just how crucial faith is.
The reason for it is this: without faith we are still in our sins, and are still separated from God.  God would be unjust if He said He was pleased with someone in that situation, because at the end of the day they have not met the basic requirement to enter heaven: to believe in His Son (John 3:18). Believing in Jesus Christ is actually a command of God (1 John 3:23). If we don’t believe, we are actually being disobedient.
But even this faith that we have in Christ, is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). Here’s how it works: we are each presented with the opportunity (or perhaps many opportunities throughout our life) to take hold of faith in Christ. ‘Just believe, and you will be saved,’ we are told. If we decide to give it a go, and reach out in that direction, we are given the faith required to believe. But if we decline the invitation, we won’t receive it. Once we have that saving faith, we are to guard it (2 Tim. 1:14). How’s your faith doing today? Are you pleasing God?