The Gift God Wants

Psalm 69: 30-31 

“I will praise God’s name in song

     and glorify him with thanksgiving.

This will please the Lord more than 

    an ox, more than a bull with

    its horns and hooves.”

We see it all the time, the gift. Movies and holidays are filled with gifts. We bring a gift to a dinner night at someone’s house or a “just because I love you” gift. Somewhere deep down inside of us is the gift-giving spirit, and it is no respecter of persons.

God even gave a gift, His Son Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. If you think about it, the disciples even gave a gift. They gave the rest of their lives to further the gospel to the world.

Well, what can we give God? This question has crossed our minds plenty of times. It is like trying to pick a gift out for someone who has everything. In the Old Testament, the Israelites would give God sacrifices, some for the forgiveness of sins and some for goodwill offerings, or “just because I love you” gifts.

David tells us what God wants for every Christmas, birthday, and “just because I love you” gift. He simply wants us to glorify Him in song with thanksgiving in our hearts. Seems kind of simple, well, it is. It is almost too simple. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

In other words, it may look simple in black and white, but living it out requires the Holy Spirit’s help. Start today praising the Lord in song and thanking Him for everything you can think of. If Paul says the foolish things of this world are to shame the wise, then using man-made wisdom is foolishness to God. Pray today for the wisdom of the Lord to fill your hearts and minds. The result is verse 30 of Psalm 69: “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.”

Prayer: I pray that I would glorify the Lord in song and praise today. I pray that my heart is full of thanksgiving. I pray that I would choose to praise the Lord instead of filling my head with worldly chatter. In Jesus’ name, amen.