The Only Things We Can Give God

If you strip life down to its essentials, there are very few things we truly possess. We do not own our breath. We did not create our minds. We did not earn the mercy that keeps us alive another day. Everything we have has been received.

That truth leads to a sobering realization. There is almost nothing we can give God that He does not already own.

Scripture reminds us of this clearly.
“The earth is Yahweh’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24:1, LSB).

God does not need our resources, our talent, or our strength. He spoke the universe into existence. He sustains every atom by His power. So what, then, can we give Him?
The Bible gives us the answer. We can give God our praise, our fear, and our obedience.

Our Praise
Praise is not something God lacks. It is something we owe.
Praise is the rightful response of a redeemed heart. When we praise God, we are not adding to His glory. We are acknowledging it. Praise is alignment. It is the soul saying, “You are who You say You are, and I will live like it is true.”

God could command the rocks to cry out, but He invites His people to praise Him instead. That invitation is grace. We give Him praise not because He is desperate for it, but because our hearts are desperate for Him.

Our Fear
Biblical fear is not terror. It is reverence. It is awe. It is the recognition that God is holy, powerful, and not to be treated casually.
“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10, LSB).

To fear God is to take Him seriously. It is to stop reshaping Him into our image and allow Him to shape us into His. When we fear God rightly, everything else falls into its proper place. Lesser fears lose their grip when the fear of the Lord governs our hearts.

Our Obedience
Obedience is where faith becomes visible.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15, LSB).
Obedience does not earn God’s love. It responds to it. We obey not to be saved, but because we have been saved. True obedience flows from trust. It says, “God, You know better than I do, and I will follow You even when I do not understand.”

Grace Makes It Possible
Here is the most beautiful part of all of this. God does not demand praise, fear, and obedience without first providing what we need to give them.

• Grace comes first.
• Grace opens our eyes so we can see His worth.
• Grace humbles our hearts so we can fear Him rightly.
• Grace changes our desires so obedience becomes possible.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, LSB).

Even what we give to God has been enabled by God.

That is the gospel. God gives us everything we need to give Him the only things He asks for. Praise. Fear. Obedience.

And all of it flows from grace.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jody