When I was a child I really looked forward to my birthday because it meant getting presents. I could hardly wait. I loved the people who gathered for my birthday, but the presents were the center of my attention. Politely reading the attached card and admiring the wrappings were just the final obstacles to opening the present. But over the years my perspective has changed dramatically. When my kids and grandkids recently gathered together to celebrate my 69th birthday, the presents were very secondary. What mattered was their expressions of love and gratefulness for the role I had played in their lives . . .those were what made it special.
And it’s the same with God. He doesn’t seem to be very impressed with what we give him:
10For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
Psalm 50:10–13
God has made it clear that He doesn’t need “stuff” from us. But there are things that God does desire:
14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15and call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
. . . .
23The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”
Psalm 50:14-15, 23
To God’s desire for thanksgiving we could certainly add other things like love, faithfulness, honor.
So why are things like love and thanksgiving so meaningful to God? I think it may have to do with the heart. You can force a person into just about any action (risking their life in battle, rescuing a loved one, or paying taxes come to mind), but you cannot force a person to love or to be thankful. Love and thanksgiving, by their very nature, cannot be seized or extorted; they must be freely given. That’s what makes them so special . . .even to the Living God.
Why not take a few minutes today just to open your heart to God and tell him how much you love him, and how grateful you are for whatever blessings he may bring to your mind? I think He would really like that.