Give Him Your Praise
Worship is the act of praising God for who He is and what He has done for us. Throughout Scripture, worship is a central act of the Christian life.
As Christians, we have received so much from God. Through Jesus Christ, we have received salvation and grace. We now have a new life in Christ and are secure for eternity.
Our response back to God for all of these things should be worship. Praising Him for His goodness and mercy and thanking Him for the things He has done.
We often think of worship as singing songs to God. And within this form of worship, we can do things like clap our hands, pray to God, or raise our hands in awe of Him.
But, singing songs is not the only form of worship. We can worship God in every area of our life. We worship God through prayer and gratitude. We can also worship God by being in awe of His creation.
As the writer of Psalm 47 says, shouting out to God and worshiping God comes from the joy within our heart. As we consider the greatness and goodness of God, as well as everything He has given us, we worship Him out of the joy within us.
Consider during this Advent season how you can intentionally worship God. You can begin by thanking Him for His faithfulness and goodness or any of His other attributes. Express your gratitude for the things He has done in your life and the things He’s given you.
First Things First
There are plenty of things in life that beg for our attention. Our days are filled with relationships and responsibilities, all of which take time.
In Jesus’ famous sermon in Matthew 6, He spends some time talking about the various things we give our attention to. He explains that instead of spending all of our time and energy worrying about our basic need and desires in life, we should first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
So, what does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness?
God’s kingdom is about God’s rule and reign over all of creation. His kingdom was unleashed during Jesus’ ministry on earth, and is now growing and expanding throughout the global Church. The work of the kingdom is to continue to tell others about the hope of Jesus, and to teach everything that Jesus has commanded.
To seek God’s righteousness is to desire to live the way God intended. It's to live according to God’s...