DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 11.6.21

How Are Your Thoughts? by Anna Kuta “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy,meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). We’ve all heard the phrase “Garbage in, garbage out” – it’s a statement that originated in reference to computer input and output but is now often applied to other areas of life. I, for one, heard it countless times growing up when it came to healthy foodversus junk food, and I’m sure you’ve heard it used to refer to something along similar lines. And as I was reading today’s verse a few days ago, I realized Paul is using the same principle here in reference to our minds. In instructing the Philippians about how to live godly lives, he includes this verse about what they should be thinking about andfocusing on. Whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, praiseworthy – this is what he tells them to meditate on. “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you,” he goes on in verse 9. As Christians, our aim is to live a life pleasing and obedient to God. Our Christian lives should show a pattern of growth and sanctification – becoming more like Jesus and less like the sinful people we were before. But before our actions can line up withJesus, our minds and hearts have to. Do we expect to live lives reflecting of Him if our minds are focused elsewhere, on sinful things? No, our minds should focus on godly things – things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and praiseworthy.Godliness in, godliness out. --------------------------------------------- TheCounting God “Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?” (Job31:4) God is surely the Great Mathematician. All the intricacies of structure and process of His mighty cosmos are, at least in principle, capable of being described mathematically, and the goal of science is to do just that. This precise intelligibility of the universeclearly points to a marvelous intelligence as its Creator. God even “telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names” (Psalm147:4). Astronomers estimate that at least 10 trillion trillion stars exist in the heavens, and God has counted and identified each one! And that is not all: “The very hairs of your head are all numbered,” Jesus said (Matthew10:30). From the most massive star to the tiniest hair, God has counted each component of His creation. Such countings are far beyond human capabilities, for “the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured” (Jeremiah33:22). But God has also created “an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews12:22) and has promised that the redeemed will include “a great multitude, which no man could number” (Revelation7:9). No wonder David exclaimed, “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalm40:5). Perhaps the most wonderful of all God’s counting activities is that implied in Job’s rhetorical question: “Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?” If He has numbered the hairs on our heads, we can be certain He numbers our steps along the way andguides them all. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm37:23). HMM ----------------------------- Obeying God Acts 5:27-32 The high priest ordered Peter and the apostles to stop teaching about Jesus, but they ignored the order. When questioned about their actions, Peter replied, “We must obey God rather than men” (v. 29). What motivated them to follow the Lord with such conviction? God’s Sovereignty. Peter and the other disciples recognized that God had carried out His divine plan of redemption in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Convinced that salvation was found in Christ alone, they had the courage to speak boldly about their faith. They didn’t alter their words, even in front of a powerful authority. Instead, they gave allegiance to God and obeyed Him. Thankfulness. Their obedience was also motivated by gratitude. After betraying the Lord, Peter had wept over his failure (Mark14:72). Think of the disciple’s joy to realize that Christ had forgiven him for his mistakes and restored him to a right relationship with God (Mark16:7; John 21:15-17). With his past behind him, Peter became a leader of the Jerusalem church, with a passionto obey fueled by a thankful heart. God is in charge of our lives. He has rescued us from the bondage of sin, forgiven us, and brought us into His family. Grateful obedience should be our response too. Each day we have a choice. We can acknowledge God’s sovereignty and trust Him, or we can turn away and follow our own plan. Cultivating a thankful spirit will motivate us to stay the course and obey the Lord. Like Peter, let’s commit to following our heavenlyFather wherever He leads. -------------------------------- BiblicalAccuracy “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenlythings?” (John3:12) Many who profess to be Christian intellectuals today are arguing that we should defer to the evolutionists in matters of science and history since the real message of the Bible is spiritual. The Genesis account, for example, is not meant to give us detailsof the events of creation, for scientists can give us this information. It merely assures us that God is somehow behind it all. But if this were all that God meant to tell us, its very first verse is enough for that! What is the need to describe all the daysand acts of creation at all if the record has no real relevance to history or science? As the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus in our text verse, if we cannot trust God’s Word when it relates “earthly things,” how can we possibly rely on its testimony of “heavenly things”? To some extent we can check for ourselves whether or not it is accurate whenit records facts of history and processes of nature, but we have no means at all of determining whether it speaks the truth when it deals with heaven and hell, with salvation and eternal life, or with God’s purpose for the world in the ages to come. The fact is that the Bible is accurate in all matters with which it deals, scientific and historical as well as spiritual and theological. It is a dangerous thing to listen to these modern “pied pipers” of evangelicalism whose self-serving compromises withevolutionary scientism have already led multitudes of young people astray in our Christian colleges and seminaries. We yet may not have all the answers to alleged problems in the Bible, but we can be absolutely sure of God’s Word. When the answers are found, they will merely confirm what He has said all along. He is able and willing to speak the truth, and He means whatHe says! HMM --------------------------------- The "Whys" of Life by Kelly Givens �He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.� Revelation 21:4 Towards the end of work some weeks ago, our office was informed that a few cars in our parking deck had been broken into. The vandalism and robberies had been contained to Level 2�the level I had parked my car. Thankfully, my car had been left untouched.The SUV directly across from me, however, hadn�t fared so well- the shattered glass on the ground evidenced the vandals� quick and effective work. As I began my drive home I prayed God would give the owners of the busted-up cars a measure of his peace, mercyand patience. Nearing my exit, I noticed cars slowing down, and around the bend in the road, I saw why. A cop was getting out of his car; he had been called for a minor fender bender and traffic was slowing to accommodate. I inched past, glancing at the guy in the truckthat had been hit. He had his head in his hand and was looking up at the sky in exasperation. You could tell he was thinking, �I can�t believe this happened. Why me?! What did I do to deserve this?!� I thought back to the owners of the cars in the parkingdeck, knowing they would be asking those same questions when they discovered their vehicles had been broken into. ------------------------------- The "Whys" of Life by Kelly Givens �He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.� Revelation 21:4 Towards the end of work some weeks ago, our office was informed that a few cars in our parking deck had been broken into. The vandalism and robberies had been contained to Level 2�the level I had parked my car. Thankfully, my car had been left untouched.The SUV directly across from me, however, hadn�t fared so well- the shattered glass on the ground evidenced the vandals� quick and effective work. As I began my drive home I prayed God would give the owners of the busted-up cars a measure of his peace, mercyand patience. Nearing my exit, I noticed cars slowing down, and around the bend in the road, I saw why. A cop was getting out of his car; he had been called for a minor fender bender and traffic was slowing to accommodate. I inched past, glancing at the guy in the truckthat had been hit. He had his head in his hand and was looking up at the sky in exasperation. You could tell he was thinking, �I can�t believe this happened. Why me?! What did I do to deserve this?!� I thought back to the owners of the cars in the parkingdeck, knowing they would be asking those same questions when they discovered their vehicles had been broken into. ---------------------------------------------------- Childrenof the Day �Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.� (1Thessalonians 5:5) It may be significant that most of the days during the year that have been considered to have some special meaning are observed as �Days��for example, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, etc. Those observed mainly at night, such as Halloween andNew Year�s Eve, tend to emphasize frivolity or even sinfulness. Christmas Eve may be an exception, but this celebration (December 25) rarely notes the real reason for Christ�s incarnation. It is for good reason that darkness has become a term referring not only to absence of daylight but also to absence of moral light. Many biblical references make this connection. Note just a sampling. �The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light� (Romans13:12). �For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love� (1Thessalonians 5:7-8). �And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them...But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light� (Ephesians5:11, 13). All who have trusted in Christ have been �delivered� by our heavenly Father �from the power of darkness� (Colossians1:13). It would be utterly irresponsible, therefore, for us ever to shame our Father by behaving like the children of darkness. �For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light� (Ephesians5:8). HMM ---------------------------------- TheJoyful Sound �Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.� (Psalm89:15) Many have been the Christians who have joined in singing �We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves; Jesus saves!� Not all have known, however, that this beautiful phrase comes from a great psalm extolling God�s marvelous works of creation and then His promisesof redemption. �The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created them� (Psalm89:11- 12). Earlier verses note that �the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD� (v. 5), speaking of the angels, �the sons of the mighty� (v. 6), literally, �the sons of God.� It is exciting to realize that the very first �joyful sound� was heard whenGod �laid the foundations of the earth.� Then it was that �the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy� (Job38:4, 7). There was also a joyful sound when Christ was born, and the angel came bringing �good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born...a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord...And suddenly there was...the heavenly host praising God� (Luke2:10-11, 13). Whenever a soul is saved, there is another joyful sound: �Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,� said Jesus (Luke15:7). Finally, there will be a most wonderful sound of joy on Earth when the Lord comes again. �And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrowand sighing shall flee away� (Isaiah35:10). Therefore, even now, �my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation� (Psalm35:9). HMM ------------------------------------------------- Acquaintedwith Grief - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He was despised and rejected � a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. �Isaiah 53:3 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/acquainted-with-grief/- Listen During His time on Earth, Jesus experienced the full gamut of human emotion. He felt joy. He felt sorrow. And He felt anger. Yes, Jesus got angry. He made a whip and drove the moneychangers out of the temple in Jerusalem. And He also was angry after Lazarus died. John�s gospel tells us, �When Jesus saw [Mary] weepingand saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled� (11:33 NLT). Was Jesus angry with Mary or her sister, Martha? No. Was He angry with the people who were with Mary and Martha? No. Jesus was angry with death itself. He was angry that this had to happen. Not only was Jesus angry, but we see another emotion of His in this passage. John tells us, �Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, �See how much heloved him!�� (verses 35�36 NLT). Death breaks God�s heart just as it breaks our hearts. This serves as a reminder that Jesus weeps with us in our times of pain. Does that surprise you? We might think that God is indifferent, that He�s disconnected, and thatHe doesn�t really care. But Jesus was and is God. Jesus was God walking among us as a man. So if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. When we�re in pain, He feels that pain as well. Jesus, according to Isaiah 53, �was despised and rejected�a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief� (verse 3 NLT). Jesus bore your sins, but He also carried your sorrows. So if it hurts you, it affects Him. If it causes you pain, He cares. Jesus wept. That says a lot about how He looks at us and cares about us. -------------------- The Example of Enoch - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. �Genesis 5:23�24 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-example-of-enoch/- Listen When the 19th century was ending and the 20th century was beginning, there was a buoyant optimism. It was a time that Mark Twain described as the Gilded Age. As a new century was about to dawn, a new philosophy emerged that humanity would somehow bring about Heaven on Earth, besting nature, and even God, through technology. Interestingly, the latest technology in that day was shipbuilding. And as a symbol of this new era, the White Star Line commissioned the building of the most magnificent,luxurious, technologically advanced ship ever known. They aptly named it the Titanic. Someone famously said that even God Himself could not sink it. You know the rest of the story. It�s almost as though the Lord Himself said, �Let me show you what your technology amounts to when you dare to thumb your nose at Me andleave Me out of the equation.� We find a parallel to this time in the Bible, a time prior to the judgment of God upon Earth through the Great Flood. There was a man who walked with God prior to this judgmentwho gave us a model for how to live a godly life in an ungodly world. This particular man, whose name was Enoch, is an example of how to live as a last day believer. The Bible also tells us that the Lord took Enoch before he actually died: �Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, becauseGod took him� (Exodus 5:23�24 NLT). Enoch is a prototype, if you will, of an entire generation of people who will not see death but will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air in the Rapture. It�s entirely possible that we could be that generation. At the appointed hour, Jesus will come again. But until that time, we should walk with Him. --------------------------- Creationand the Finger of God �It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.� (Exodus31:17-18) �All scripture is given by inspiration of God� (2Timothy 3:16), but this portion of Scripture was given by direct inscription of God! Moses testified: �The LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spakewith you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly� (Deuteronomy9:10). �He wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments� (Exodus34:28). Thus, out of all the Holy Scriptures, God chose to write this section, not through one of His prophets, but with His own finger! It should, therefore, be taken literally and most seriously. It is also significant that these commandments were structured around a weekly day of rest, �remembering� God�s creation week�six days of creating and making everything in heaven and Earth, followed by a sanctified day of rest and refreshment (note also Exodus 20:8-11 and Genesis 1:31�2:3). Ever since the creation, people have observed a weekly calendar. The seven-day week (unlike the day, month, and year) has no astronomical basis. People keep time in weeks simply because God did! Even those who deny the six-day week ofcreation must observe it, for their biological rhythms are constructed that way by God. �The sabbath was made for man,� said Jesus (Mark2:27). Since God considered the truth of the literal creation week so important that He inscribed it Himself, we should believe this portion of His Word first of all. HMM ----------------------------------------- Stepping in Harmony - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. �1 John 2:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/stepping-in-harmony/- Listen Have you ever heard a group of people singing, and one person was out of sync with everyone else? They stand out, don�t they? When the Bible speaks of walking with God, it�s the idea of being harmony with God, moving in sync with God, or being in rhythm with God. The Lord said to the prophet Amos, �Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?� (Amos 3:3 NLT). In the original language, the word �together� means �in harmony.� Some years ago, I went on a deepwater scuba dive. I usually dive around 30 feet deep, but this dive was 100 feet. That means I had to be careful about ascending too quickly,and the dive master told our group to be sure to preserve our air. I was a little nervous about that dive, so by the time we reached the bottom, I had managed to use up most of my air. Here I was, 100 feet below the surface, and I couldn�t go back up on my own. So I had to go over to my instructor, who had an extra regulator on his tank. This regulatorhad a very short hose, which meant that I had to go where he went. If he went up, I went up. If he went down, I went down. I had to take shallow strokes to keep from bumping into him. But if I wanted to live, I had to move in harmony with my diving instructor. That is a picture of walking with God. We want to be in harmony with Him and move in the same direction with Him. The Bible tells us, �He who says he abides in Him oughthimself also to walk just as He walked� (1 John 2:6). This means we should want to live as Jesus Christ did. We should want to walk closely with Him. ---------------------------------------------- The Passion to Obey John 14:15 For a sermon I gave several years ago, I jotted down a list and titled it "The Evolution of a Passion to Obey God." That passion doesn't just spring up, full-blown at salvation. We do enter our new life in Christ with a desire to please Him, and that does include obeying Him. But an intensely determined pursuit of His will develops more slowly. In fact, the first stage--fear of the consequences of disobedience--barely qualifies as reverence for God. But as we progress in our faith and form a commitment to obey the Lord, we eventually reach the final stage, which is love and devotion to Christ. Wouldn't you rather follow Him out of love than out of fear? Getting from the first stage to the last begins with what you might expect--an increasing knowledge of Jesus Christ. As we dig into God's Word to see how He provided for the saints, we develop a desire for His best. Men like Moses, David, and Paul weren'tsatisfied with what the world had to offer, and we won't be either when we witness His work in the lives of His followers. So we test out obedience and discover that God's promised blessings are real. As we acquire a record of consistent rewards for doingHis will, we recognize the wisdom of obedience. Can you find yourself on the spectrum between fear and devotion? It is my hope that you have committed to obeying God and that you are reading His Word daily to learn how to keep your promise. God wants your best--your passionate pursuit of His will--becauseHe is giving His best to you. -------------------------------- Stand Fast �Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearlybeloved.� (Philippians 4:1) Several adjectives precede the command contained in this text. Not only does Paul twice use �dearly beloved� to describe his relationship with the Philippians, but he also insists that he longs for them and anticipates joy at the recognition of the �crown� he will receive in heaven. These are intense words. Agapetos is the descriptive Greek term translated �dearly beloved.� The heavenly Father uses agapetos to express His love for His �beloved Son� (Matthew 3:17). Most of the New Testament letters freely use agapetos to describe various personal relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ. That unique and deeply spiritual love is what demonstrates our difference to the unsaved (John13:34-35). Since Paul is separated from the Philippian church (probably writing the letter from Rome), his love for them caused him to �long after [them] all in the bowels of Jesus Christ� (Philippians1:8). That passionate ache is mitigated by the joy coming from the certain knowledge that his work will result in a �victor�s crown� (Greek stephanos, today�s verse) when God rewards our service. �For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?� (1Thessalonians 2:19). So, �stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel� (Philippians 1:27). �Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quityou like men, be strong� (1 Corinthians 16:13). Stand fast in the liberty that salvation provides. Don�t become tangled up in the bondage of legalisticburdens (Galatians 5:1). �For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord� (1Thessalonians 3:8). HMM III ----------------------------------- Flying Lessons by Meghan Kleppinger "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11, NAS While traveling to Chattanooga, TN a few years ago, I read the autobiography, Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved, by Dorie Van Stone. The book retraces the past of a deeply wounded child transformed into a woman with heart on fire for the God who loves her. As a child, Dorie was rejected and abandoned by her mother, and abused by orphanage workers, foster parents, and relatives. In the midst of a horrendous childhood filled with daily mistreatment, Dorie was introduced to the One who did love her and wouldnever abandon her. Her life is now one that reflects not her past, but her Savior. As I finished reading the final chapter on the plane, I shared with the Lord that I wanted to meet Dorie, give her a huge hug, and thank her for writing the book. During my layover in Atlanta, I saw a woman resembling Dorie in one of the airport stores. I pulled the book out of my bag to compare the woman in the store with the photo on the back cover. I shook off the possibility and thought the same thing you arethinking now, �There is no way!� I proceeded to my gate promising myself if I saw her again I would ask if she was, in fact, �Dorie.� I�m not proud to admit that when she appeared at my departure gate, I was a complete wimp and did not approach her. She sat two seats behind me on the plane, and still I said nothing. In Chattanooga�s airport she kept popping up, but I continued to comeup with excuses for not asking a simple question. Finally, while waiting for my baggage, I heard someone say, "Mrs. Van Stone." --------------------------- A Commitment to Obey Psalms 1 The Bible declares the Lord's great power and majesty while also revealing His deep mercy and love. He is worthy of wholehearted, passionate submission, but He doesn't often get it. Are you among the few who offer themselves to Him without reservation? Complete obedience is a choice to follow God regardless of the consequences. This means that we obey the Lord even if our friends choose a different path or when suffering or embarrassment is guaranteed. Seeing His will done is more important than our owncomfort or personal ambition. We commit the consequences to God and cling to His promises: He will never leave us (Heb. 13:5), and Hemakes good out of every situation (Rom. 8:28). Notice the word 'commitment' in the title of today's devotion. I'm not writing about obedience that is born of the moment (as in, I choose to follow God in this instance) but about submission as a way of life. Setting restrictions on compliance is so tempting--wewant to be able to change our mind when obeying upsets our lifestyle, the final result is unclear, or we're just plain scared. But let me ask you this one sobering question: If Jesus is the Lord of your life, what right do you have to limit how and when you'lldo His will? Believers have no right to set their own limits; their one criterion for making decisions should be, What does God want me to do? The answer at times may cause suffering, but obedience is always right. And following God in all things is the surest path tofavor and spiritual growth. --------------------------------- Greetings �Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God�s elect, and theacknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.� (Titus1:1) In New Testament times it was common to begin one�s letter to a friend with a salutation such as this, which usually identified the writer and the reader and then gave personal greetings. Contrary to his normal practice, Paul spends the first three verses of this four-verse greeting speaking about himself, but he places the emphasis not on his own authority, but on the nature of the message which he has been given. First, in designating his position as writer, Paul refers to himself as a �servant� (literally, �slave�) of God. His will had been voluntarily surrendered to do his Master�s will. Next, he identifies himself as �an apostle of Jesus Christ,� commissioned byHim to represent Him and His revelation. He then defines his apostleship as being in agreement with the message to which the elect have responded, and the �acknowledging [literally, �advanced knowledge�] of the truth which is after godliness.� Next, Paul claims that his message is not a new doctrine, but has its past, present, and future aspects. It was �promised before the world began� (v. 2) by God, who has in the present been proclaiming �his word through preaching� (v. 3). Furthermore, his apostoliccalling is �in [literally, �resting on�] hope of eternal life� (v. 2). Paul then claims the message as his own, �committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior� (v. 3). In a very real sense, this same message is now committed to us. Our knowledge of the truth and need for faith are at least as great; our call to submission and godliness equally serious. May God grant us the same level of commitment to the gospel and its propagationas that of Paul. JDM ----------------------------- Pleasing God - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying��he disappeared, because God took him.� For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleasedGod. �Hebrews 11:5 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/pleasing-god/- Listen What does it mean to be well pleasing to God? There are Scripture passages that specifically point out what is pleasing to Him. For example, God is pleased when we patiently endure when we�re misunderstood, in spite of the fact that we�re in the right. First Peter 2:19�20 says, �For God is pleasedwhen, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you� (NLT). Worship and helping others is also well pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:15�16 tells us, �Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaimingour allegiance to his name. And don�t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God� (NLT). God is well pleased when we sing His praises. Yes, He sees our hearts, but He wants to hear us praise Him from our lips. God wants to hear us say that we love Him. Giving to the work of the Kingdom is well pleasing to God. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, �Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having receivedfrom Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God� (Philippians 4:18 NKJV). In that instance, Paul was speaking of an offering they had given. And he was saying their offering was pleasing to God. Would you commit yourself to be a more patient and forgiving person toward those who take advantage of you or don�t appreciate all that you do? Would you make a commitmentto be a regular giver and a regular worshiper? These things are well pleasing to God. VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM