I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
A Sacrifice of Praise
Have you ever thought about how your life brings pleasure to God? All throughout Scripture, we learn about how we can use our lives to please God. In fact, we were created for God’s pleasure.
Since we have been given new life in Christ, and we’ve experienced God’s grace, we should desire to please God. Since He has given us everything in life, we ought to give Him everything we are.
The writer of Hebrews tells us two distinct ways we can please God. The first is in Hebrews 13:15. The writer says that our first sacrifice to God is praising Him. This is what the Bible calls "worship."
Worship is the orientation of our entire life to live in awe of who God is and what He has done for us. We can worship God not only by the songs we sing, but also the way we live our lives.
Hebrews 13:16 tells us another way that we can please God: by loving others. When we love others, we are reflecting the love that God has for them. That is why it matters how we treat people.
Our actions are a reflection of how God has loved us. And since we’ve been loved by God, we ought to do good to those around us.
These are two ways that we can bring pleasure to God—by worshiping Him and loving others. This is similar to what Jesus says the greatest commandment is in Matthew 22:36-40. He sums it up by telling us to love God and love others. We love God by worshiping Him and praising Him. We love others by doing good to them and sharing with them.
How are you doing at loving God and loving others? Do you spend time each day in Scripture and prayer, praising God for who He is? If we don’t love God first and foremost, we won’t be able to truly love other people in our lives.
Desiring God’s Presence
Take a moment to think about your desires in life. Make a mental list of all of the things you want to accomplish. Think about your top priorities and where you think you should spend your time.
Now, go back over your list and consider how many of your desires included spending time with God. Did any of your accomplishments require being in God’s presence?
The writer of Psalm 42 compares himself to a deer that is longing for water. The deer is weary and parched without it, and so all it wants is to find a stream to drink from.
In a similar way, the Psalmist is weary and exhausted from life. He is under pressure and growing tired. And yet, his innermost desire is for God.
Just like the deer desires water, the psalmist’s soul desires the presence of God. He knows that the solution to his problems is not more accomplishments and praise—it’s spending time in the presence of God.
It’s not wrong to have desires and goals in life. But our foremost desire should be ...
