Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
06/03/2014, by John Kincaid
Lesson 256: Our Motive for Praising God
What should motivate us to good works? Jesus praised the leper who returned to give thanks and the honor due to God. We understand that praising God is important.
But why? Because we want to go to heaven and avoid hell? Because we hope to gain a reward?
Our reason for giving glory to God should be our overflowing gratitude for His grace.
Turning toward holiness involves turning away from selfishness.
The world says “Look out for number 1, no one else will.”
But Christians must not be consumed with self-promotion, or even self-protection.
If we’re serving God for our own benefit, we are really serving only ourselves. Selfish efforts don’t honor God.
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart: Do I expect favors from God, in exchange for obeying and serving?
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
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