What Can I Give to God?

It's hard to believe that we've experienced yet another "gift-giving" season. What's even harder to believe is that we are already 18 days closer to another one! I think back to going shopping for all of my loved ones. Many times the question passed through my mind, "What can I give to _________?"

The psalmist asked this question:

"What shall I render to the Lord For all his benefits toward me?" – Psalm 116:12, NKJV

Have you ever paused for a moment to think about the wonderful benefits that God has given to us? I feel blessed this morning for a few reasons. First of all, I was able to get up out of bed, walk through my nice, heated house, and take a long warm shower. There are many people in this world who don't have the same nice warm house, much less the opportunity to enjoy singing in the shower. Those are just the physical benefits. The spiritual benefits, and the grace of God offering me salvation through my obedient faith to Him far outweigh those things (Ephesians 2:8).

In keeping with that thought, what could I give to show God my appreciation for all of these things? Think about why we give gifts to those we love. These gifts not only show how much we care, but that we appreciate the recipient of those gifts.

Do you ever find that person, though, who seems to be hard to shop for. No matter what you think about giving them, it appears as though they have everything anyway. What, then, could I give to the one who created and who owns the whole universe (Col. 1:16)?

The psalmist continues by writing this:

"I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD." Psalm 116:17, NKJV

Indeed, if you really stop and think about it, the only thing that we can offer to God that is truly ours is our worship to Him. So what kind of gift will I give to Him?

More on this later…

This is part of a month long series of lessons here at Sweetwater (borrowing the idea from Donovan Palmer) that examine the "Heart of Worship".