The End in Mind

Scripture:
"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And to not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased." Hebrews 13: 15-16

Observation:
The text does not say through Jesus lets pursue peace and contentment for ourselves. It does not say through Jesus let's pursue everything we desire to have in our lives. It does not say through Jesus let's live liberally and deny ourselves no joy. It does not say through Jesus let’s attack the world with legalism. It says, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God and to do good and share.

There is a tendency to twist scripture for personal gain or to complicate it to the point that no one really understands what is going on or what they are supposed to do. Text like Hebrews 13 serves as a great reminder to me that the instructions God left for us are not that complicated.

Application:
Steven Covey says that to be successful, you really have to start with the end in mind. The end in mind for our faith has to always be to give praise to God and to do good for others. There is nothing self-serving in following Christ. There are rewards. God promises peace and contentment and treasure both on earth and in the kingdom to come for those who pursue Him. But that can't be the focus. It is like this, if I pursue a deeper relationship with my wife only because I desire to have sex; she is going to feel used. If she pursues a deeper relationship with me because she only desires using me to get things done, I am going to feel used. This is true in any relationship, if I pursue a person only for the gain I get, I will lose the relationship. The same is true of my relationship with God. The ultimate goal is to praise Him and do good for others regardless of what I get out of the deal.

Prayer:
I can't praise You if You are not real to me. I feel like at times Your presence can get lost in the shuffle of everything that I have going in my life. There are times that my questions and doubts drive me from You. There are times that my own selfish ambitions get the best of me. Above everything that I have going in my life, I pray that Your presence become to me the greatest reality I know. I pray that it becomes an inescapable way of life that captures every aspect of me. As I walk through my life today, I pray Your goodness be reflected on me. May Your favor rest upon my life. May all that I do be observed by those around me and create in them a curiosity about You. I pray that you make me aware of the spiritual side of things that I face today. I believe that every choice I make today will carry me towards You or away from You. Help me chose wisely. May everything I do rise up to You as a Holy sacrifice.