Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation. (Ps. 50:23)
It had been hard slugging all year long for little Tommy. His expectations for second grade were so much higher than his ultimate reality. Learning suddenly became hard and he had so much trouble staying focused every day. How many times had his mom had to come in to speak with Mrs. Nobleman? He’d lost count.
Tommy didn’t anticipate much celebrating on the final day of school. So, when his name was called for an award, he did a double take. When Mrs. Nobleman showered him with compliments about his eternally grateful spirit and his eagerness to do what was right, he couldn’t believe it. He’d been so caught up in academic struggles, he’d not realized his amazing character wins.
Salvation is a free gift from God. It isn’t merited by the way we behave. It is given to all who realize they can’t save themselves, and so turn to Jesus. And this gift imprints into us the growing character of Christ, helping us to move away from what harms us and toward all that is good and right. And when we experience holy character growing within, we can’t help but to shout out our gratitude to the One who saved us and calls us sons and daughters. Our outward expressions of gratitude to God for who he is and what he has done, radiates to him as honor.
Honor God by telling him how grateful you are for his grace.
Elizabeth Rhyno is a wife, mom, and pastor of relational arts at Waterline [Wesleyan] Church. Elizabeth chooses to pursue the Lord and lean into his heart for community.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
