Made to Praise
READ
Have you ever wondered what God's will for your life was?
I have. It seems like with each decade, I wrestle with what God is calling me to. In my youth, I wrestled with God's will, assuming it applied only to what college or career path I chose. In my adult years, the question deepened and expanded beyond location and job choice, often including marriage, parenthood, caring for aging family, and where we would eventually move and plant roots.
Scripture has provided a road map for our lives, but it doesn't spell out the specifics of jobs, who to date, and where to move. But it does tell us God's will for our lives by showing us what type of people God is inviting us to become.
And our passage today does just that. Let's read it.
Take a moment to read Hebrews 13:15-16:
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
REFLECT
You might have read that passage and are still scratching your head, wondering exactly how it shows you God's will for your life. But let's quickly glance at another passage that supports the verses we just read:
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
You see, many of us spend our days wrestling with really big decisions about where to live, what jobs to pursue, and so on. But these verses show us that God's will for us isn't reliant on making the right college choice or the right job choice. God's will for our life is that we become people who are so enamored with Jesus that we continually praise Him with our words, our prayers, and our actions.
Notice that we're called to a life that praises God, and how praising Him spills over into changing the ways we show up in the world. When we understand that praising God is a continual practice—not confined to church or our quiet times—we also become people who do good in our communities and share the love of Jesus with others.
This is God's will for your life today, tomorrow, and for as many years as God grants you breath in your lungs.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
What would it look like in your life to continually praise God this weekend?
Spend a few moments brainstorming about doing good works and sharing with others. What are two ways you can do good in someone else's life this week? Write them down and commit to seeing it through this next week.
REST
Take a moment to rest in God's presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
God, thank You for Your grace and for being a God who doesn't hide Your will from our lives. Today and this week, would You help me become a person who praises You continually with both my words and my actions. Lord, help me show up in my home, my workplace, and community as a person who openly professes Your name and does good works that point to Your redeeming love. In Jesus' name, amen.
Port City writer Brittany Salmon wrote today’s devotional.