“And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (1 Kings 3:10)

“But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:27b)

You might think a mountain or a river is beautiful. A poet or other creative sort might think of them as having "personality." You might even think of them as being in a relationship with you. Ultimately, though, it takes a person to have a relationship with another person.

The Bible introduces us to many traits about God. One of those traits is personality. God is personal, and God’s Word reveals that personality:

He is living (Deuteronomy 5:26 and Hebrews 10:31); 

He is intelligent (1 Samuel 2:3 and Proverbs 3:19,20);

He is purposeful (see Ephesians 3:11); and

He is emotional (Judges 10:16 and Isaiah 62:5).

These and other traits portray God as having personality. Remember: God’s personality is uniquely holy since He is uniquely holy. My personality (and yours and everybody else’s) is twisted by sin.

We must keep in mind that we are not simply following a religion, a system, a set of beliefs, or a list of practices. We who have been born again are in a relationship with a Person–the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate. So, we can please Him (as Solomon, in the verse at the top) or displease Him (as David, in the verse below it). 

Let that sink in, and it will change your life. 

Pleasing God is sweet because He is personal and holy. Merely "practicing religion" is sterile since it has no personality. May God draw us to a personal relationship with Him.