“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High.” Psalm 50:14 NIV
“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23 NIV
Psalm 50 speaks to the heart of God’s people. So often we confuse salvation, as mentioned in verse 23, with works. But in this chapter, God is calling His people to be genuine in their act of worship.
When we stop and think what Jesus gave us when He died and rose again, we have much to be thankful for. How many times have we gone to church out of obligation? How many times have we put money in the collection plate to follow the rule of tithing? This is not what God is calling us to. It smacks in the face of grace.
Grace from a God who loves us, no matter if we go to church every Sunday for 30 years. Grace that says, “When you try to earn my love, you cheapen what I have given you.”
God’s grace is a gift, a free gift, motivated by only one thing, love. The Father loves us. Do you really understand how much He loves you? He does not need you to follow a rule to call Him your Lord. No, He needs our broken hearts to surrender to Him, to fall on our faces before Him in total gratefulness.
Today, let us present Him with a gift of Worship. Offer Him a true act of worship motivated from a heart of thankfulness.
Simple Steps:
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you places where you are trying to earn His grace. Confess to Him your desire to love Him with your whole heart, not obligations or fear. Go before Him with an attitude of joyful thankfulness for His great love for you.
Write a gift of worship to the Lord today. My favorite times to spend with the Lord are either early in the morning before the rest of the house is awake, or late at night when everyone has already gone to bed. Find a time today when you can write a gift of worship to the Lord.
Leave a word of encouragement in the comments below.
Come back tomorrow as we Prepare our Hearts for the Holidays.
Enjoyed reading your devotional this morning. Love my morning time with Him. Love the statement that trying to earn God’s love, cheapens the gift He is giving us. Grace is so loving and freely given. Keep writing, Louise!
Thank you, Jeanine!